“Mermaid” by prominent Victorian painter John William Waterhouse (1849 – 1917) emanates the agony of unfulfilled longings. Focusing upon tragic or powerful women, Waterhouse’s Neo-Classical work had strong Pre-Raphaelite influences. Waterhouse, successful and acclaimed during his lifetime for his mythological, literary and historical subjects, was a member of the Royal Academy who exhibited there yearly, until his death.