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.
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About the Author
Gill Perry is Professor of Art History and Director of External Collaborations in the Art History Department at the Open University. Her most recent publication, Spectacular Flirtations, explores issues of gender, spectatorship and femininity in eighteenth-century theatrical portraits. Joseph Roach is Charles C. and Dorathea S. Dilley Professor of Theater at Yale University. Shearer West is Professor of Art History, Birmingham University and AHRC Head of Research.
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By Anne Kelley
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I was unable to get to the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, but the book is a real compensation for this. Beautifully printed with a wealth of interesting illustrations, it is a very useful visual and written account of our first female actors. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the stage in England.
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First actresses
31 Jan 2012
By Hamilton
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Bel ouvrage, superbement illustré, qui est arrivé en parfait état et dans les délais prévus. Je suis contente de ma commande et des conditions de réception.
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