The first actresses : Nell Gwyn to Sarah Siddons
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The first actresses : Nell Gwyn to Sarah Siddons
National Portrait Gallery, c2011
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Catalogue of an exhibition held at the National Portrait Gallery, London, Oct. 20, 2011-Jan. 8, 2012
Includes bibliographical references (p.147-149) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Featuring a range of large-scale, public and more intimate portraits of actresses, The First Actresses provides a vivid spectacle of femininity, fashion and theatricality from Nell Gwyn to Sarah Siddons. Ranging from oil paint to porcelain, these portraits illustrate the enduring popularity of portraits of women performers. Crucially the book seeks to reassess the traditional association between actress and'prostitute', and the moral ambiguity of women playing male roles. Portraiture became an important vehicle for the expression of concerns about female sexuality, social status,decorum, gender and celebrity. The authors also chart the commercialisation of the spectacle of the actress, as well as the connections between the eighteenth-century 'star system' and modern celebrity culture. Organised thematically, sections include: 'Painting Acresses' Lives', 'Nell Gwyn and Covent Garden Goddesses', 'Divas, Dancing and the Rage for Music: Painting Women in Musical Performance', 'Beauty, Ageing and the Body Politic of the Eighteenth-Century Actress' and 'Star Systems'.
Illustrated with remarkable paintings by major artists of the period, a fascinating and lucid text reveals the many ways in which women performers enabled artistic innovation and creativity, provoked intellectual debate and contributed to the popularity and visibility of the theatre. Accompanies an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London, 20 October 2011 - 8 January 2012.
Table of Contents
FOREWORDS INTRODUCTION: PAINTING ACTRESSES' LIVES by GILL PERRY THE ACTRESSES: A SELECTION OF BIOGRAPHIES: NELL GWYN - HESTER BOOTH - LAVINIA FENTON KITTY CLIVE - PEG WOFFINGTON - FRANCES ABINGTON ELIZABETH INCHBALD - GIOVANNA BACCELLI ELIZABETH ANN SHERIDAN - SARAH SIDDONS - MARY ROBINSON ELIZABETH FARREN - DOROTHY JORDAN - ELIZABETH BILLINGTON NELL GWYN AND COVENT GARDEN GODDESSES by JOSEPH ROACH DIVAS, DANCING AND THE RAGE FOR MUSIC by GILL PERRY BEAUTY, AGEING AND THE BODY POLITIC by SHEARER WEST STAR SYSTEMS: THEN AND NOW by GILL PERRY NOTES SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LIST OF WORKS INDEX
by "Nielsen BookData"
