A 200-year-old museum in Germany has experienced a surge of visitors after Taylor Swift fans identified a painting that likely inspired the music video for her new song 'The Fate of Ophelia'. Museum Wiesbaden in the western city of Wiesbaden houses Friedrich Heyser's depiction of Shakespeare's Ophelia, dating from around 1900.
The museum's spokesperson, Susanne Hirschmann, said the institution was caught off guard by the sudden attention. 'It's been a shock, to be honest,' she said. A colleague who is a Swift fan noticed the similarity between the video's opening scene and the painting. The video, released earlier this month, has been viewed over 27 million times on YouTube in its first three days.
Hirschmann estimated that around 500 visitors came last weekend specifically to see the Heyser painting, far more than usual. Many were young women and girls posing for photos in front of the artwork. 'It's a lot more teens than we usually see,' she noted. The museum, celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, had not anticipated such interest.
Initially, speculation centred on John Everett Millais's better-known 1852 Ophelia at London's Tate museum, but the colour of the dress and the pose in Swift's video pointed fans to Heyser's version. The museum has not been able to confirm whether Swift herself visited during her July 2024 Eras tour stops in Germany, but staff are intrigued by the possibility.
Capitalising on the unexpected attention, the museum has organised an Ophelia reception on 2 November, including a guided tour on the painting's history and its connection to Swift's song. Hirschmann praised the fans' respectful behaviour and said the interest has sparked broader conversations about art. 'Thanks to Taylor Swift, it's entered a whole new dimension,' she added.
