Henry Fuseli, aka Johann Heinrich Füssli, (1741-1825) created one of the most memorable, gothic images in art history. It influenced the work of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft and several schools of art that followed. There are several versions of 'The Nightmare,' as a result of the acclaim it garnered in the artist's time, including an engraving. The original meaning of 'night-mare' derives from the word 'maren', to crush, and referred to a state of sleep paralysis accompanied by hallucinations and a crushing sensation in the chest. Such episodes inspired the belief in incubi and succubi. Fuseli's body of work was truly daring and inspired in subject, technique and dramatic composition.