Memoirs of the Celebrated Mrs Woffington: Georgian Portraits

Monday, 6 April 2009

Georgian Portraits

It’s shaping up to be a great Spring for Georgian exhibitions here in the Midlands; Warwickshire stately home/art gallery Compton Verney has emailed me with info on this forthcoming show, which looks well worth a trip if you’re in the area.

Georgian Portraits: Seeing is Believing
20 May – 13 December 2009

This display of portraits, on loan from the Holburne Museum in Bath, traces the development of Georgian Portraiture in Britain. It examines the shift in the purpose of portraits from symbols of success and status, to a new era of realism and glamour.

Coinciding with the launch of this display will be our Georgian weekend, with a whole host of historical events and activities for all ages.

Above: Allan Ramsay, Rosamund Sargent (1749).

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Who was Mrs Woffington?

Virtually forgotten today, Margaret Woffington (also known as Peg or Peggy) would rise from humble origins to become one of Georgian London’s most famous actresses, sharing the stage with the likes of David Garrick and excelling in so-called ‘breeches roles’. Born around the year 1720 in Dublin, her childhood years were marred by the death of her father, which plunged her family into poverty. Having reputedly sold watercress barefoot in the streets of the Irish capital, she was soon talent-spotted by a tumbler known as Violante, who staged populist entertainments in booths around the city. Violante had a troupe of child actors called the Liliputians, and before long Woffington was making her debut as Polly Peachum in their version of The Beggar’s Opera. Moving to London, she gained plaudits for both her outstanding beauty and her talent – particularly in comedy – appearing at both Covent Garden and Drury Lane. Known for her quick wit and no-nonsense attitude, she had high-profile affairs with Garrick, Lord Darnley and Charles Hanbury Williams; she was also a generous benefactor, supporting her elderly mother and may even have endowed some almshouses in Teddington, where she had settled at the height of her success. She died, unmarried, in 1760, having suffered a long wasting illness, and is buried in Teddington's parish church of St Mary’s.

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