Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

Elihu Vedder's wood engraving depicts a nude female figure in a garden setting, accompanied by a cherub and a serpent coiled at her feet. The composition references the biblical Garden of Eden, with the woman presenting an apple—the forbidden fruit. Below, a quatrain from Edward FitzGerald's 1859 translation of the Persian poet Omar Khayyám appears in period calligraphy, addressing themes of human creation, divine paradox, and sin. Vedder (1836–1923) illustrated the complete FitzGerald translation in 1884, creating twenty-five wood engravings that became iconic interpretations of the text. His detailed, allegorical approach helped establish the Rubáiyát as a visual as well as literary landmark in late Victorian culture.