Rooted in medieval legend, the story of Undine—a mortal but soulless sea spirit—gained prominence in the 1800s through historical fiction and opera. Chauncey Ives depicts the tale’s dramatic climax: Undine rises from the water to take revenge on her unfaithful husband. Unlike other artists, Ives chose to represent the heroine as victimized rather than vengeful. Such emotional restraint was in keeping with the work’s sober Neoclassicism and greatly appealed to a Victorian sensibility.