| Show r f THE HERALDS i Home reStudy Study Circle 1 Copyright U ty by b Seymour Seyour 4 Directed d by bY Prof Seymour Seyou e STUDIES FOB F GIRLS GI BY BREWSTER JOR JOn JORDAN JORI JORD S S DAN D V VA SARAH KEMBLE KL SIDDONS liS Sir Joshua Joshua Reynolds magnificent I portrait of Mrs Siddons as The Tragic Muse use is interesting aside aide from its is ar an artistic a value because be auge it recalls the gal gallantry ga lantry I of or the painter and an the person personality aly of his subject When the great geat ac ag actress a as tress s came to Sir studio he hehr took her hr J r by the hand and ceremonious ceremoniously ly escorted her he to the place generally occupied by his sitters saying As Ascend Ascend ce your undisputed throne and gra gre graciously ga bestow betow upon me some good goo idea of f the Muse Muc Mrs Mr Siddons complied comple with wih his hi request with w th such sch easy ea grace that the delighted artist seized seize his g palette palete and ad imploring imploring lien her hernot not not to change her first frt attitude painted paned her as a we see se her he today tody Sir S Joshua Reynolds seldom signed his hs pictures but ut in this instance he painted it upon the border of the robe of the Tragic Must Mussi Mu and justified his exceptional act at atto to Mrs Mr Siddons Siddon by exclaiming I 1 i S v vS S IE I JW I Ia a S S MRS From an original painting by Gainsborough gh In the National gallery I I could not resist the opportunity of send sending sendIng ing lag my name down to posterity on the hem of your our garment garent In striking contrast to the he social sial and professional adulation of her years ear was the th early eab life le of ot Sarah Kem Kern Kemble Kemble ble ble Daughter of Roger Kemble man manager manager manager ager of ot a company of strolling players she was born brn at the Shoulder of Mat Mut Mutton Matton ton an inn at Brecknock South Wales Wae Notwithstanding his humble vo yo vocation vocation cation Roger Kemble was as well wel bred bre and an of unquestioned integrity ingenuously ingenuously described by his wife as the only gentleman Falstaff that I have ever even eversen seen sen Mrs Mr Kemble K also of playact playacting ing extraction gave to her daughter Sarah Sarh her heT striking beauty her supple and majestic figure together with wih edu educational educational advantages especially in mu music music music sic far beyond her lowly station As a achild achild child Sarah Sar was wa forced to follow the family and ad strive after that intrepid which she gain gained gin gained ed with great get difficulty in her maturity At 17 a mutual attachment sprung up between Sarah Sarh Kemble and a Mr Ski Sid Siddons dons don an indifferent actor ator in her fathers fathers company of itinerants This ls attach attachment ataC meat ment met with wih the stern disapproval of men the imperious Mrs Mr Kemble who hastily exiled her daughter to the corn com companionship of a country family There Thereupon Thereupon upon the disconsolate Siddons dropped off into poetry and sang to a sympathetic sympathetic of audience a metrical account of the banishment of Phyllis from the company of other her bewailing Colin Cohn Coln Mr r rand Kemble although greatly ex ox exasperated and Mrs rs gaty e by these personal pena allusions finally consented to the marriage mariage at Coventry With Wih the exception of his poetical ebullition of or bad ba taste Mr r Siddons proved to be in every tae w way ay commendable a model hus hug husband husband band a devoted father a satisfactory 1 actor acta and an obliging cipher in Ia the j household of genius Immediately after their marriage young oung Mr and Mrs Mrs Siddons S dons began act acting actIng acting ing at Cheltenham and attracted the favorable fa criticism of f the aristocratic neighborhood In some families of the famile te ways wave wa e this patronage friendly fredY and ad en encouraging encouraging though It was wa proved of doubtful advantage to the debutante debute for it I Induced Garrick G ck to invite invie her he to act at Drury Lane Ln where her ler Imma Immaturity caused inevitable failure and ad mortification Ill I dressed frightened frequently frequent Inaudible her Portia Poria drew dew down such sch unfavorable comment upon the management that she was wa curtly and ad unexpectedly dismissed But the te hereditary tendencies of four generations of actors were not nt to be downed by this sudden blight With her downe he husband and two children Mrs Mr Sid Siddons doris dons don now nw returned to the provinces where for six si years yer she play playe played chiefly at York and Bath Bath This period of die dis disciplinary ds training oftentimes necessitating necessitating tating disagreeable and subordinate parts and ad daily daly exhaustive journeys journe caused her nevertheless constantly to rally her forces and make me every eve effort tel tell in reaching that tat higher plane upon which she eventually stood as a an un an unsurpassed surpassed actress In 1782 Mrs acres Siddons received from the new management of Drury Lane Lne an a of offer often ten fer of a three thre years ear engagement For Forthe Forthe Forthe the re sake sk of her three children she agreed to reappear a upon the stage from which she had been ben so s summarily dis die dismissed missed With Wih many misgivings lest let her voice might not prove proe strong enough to efface the impressions of her former forer failure she dragged through a mesa mem memorable me enable fortnight of nervous rehearsals rheas and orble ad finally appeared with wih her beautiful buti fat ful boy In trag tr tragedy edy of Isabella Her success was nas in instantaneous instantaneous eT and indisputable only see sec second ond to Incomparable first frt night Garrick had retired from the stage shortly Sory after ate acting as Shylock to Io Mrs litre Mr Siddons discreditable Portia Rumor said that her early dismissal had been en largely due to irritation irrItation tation over ov r her h r unintentional blunder of his favorite act iii hl u making him one passages age ming with wih his back to the he audience which it was difficult mortification a ton I wa for tO the veteran actor atar to brook brok Mrs MIS Siddons always felt that he e flattered fate her unduly only to dash th lien her be heavily downward He lib certainly did dd not nt dis discern dis discern cern cr In her early erly unequal efforts etor the genius eu which was wa to make a a triumph of her reappearance Since tragedies were becoming In Increasingly Increasingly fashionable society lent its Is sanction sancton to the te popular enthusiasm and the tragic actress became beme a a social as 85 aswell a well wel as a a histrionic celebrity Occasion Occasionally Occasionally ally aly she essayed comedy but not with wih marked mirthfulness Tragedy Tag was more favorable to her cast cart cst of ot powers her extraordinary physical endow endowments endowment meats ments ment her weird w lr majesty brilliant beauty beant and solemn dignity So S well were these characteristics combined weIl In Ia her impersonation of o Lady Macbeth that Charles Lamb said eaid sid in his h Last Lt Essays of Ella Elia Ela We speak seak of or Lady I while we are in reality thinking of Mrs Siddons Siddons While Wie play playing leg ing she ahe permitted no distraction dirton from the painfulness of o the drama in which I she was wa to enact her part I 1 never neer I she writes from the beginning of the play to the end of it I once suffered my m mI I dressing room to be closed in order that my attention might light be constantly fixed fed on those th ose distressing events een which I I could plainly hear were going giO on onI I stage the te terrible facts act which I were to be b represented by me meHer meI meHer I Her stately manner In tragedy grad gradually gradually rad ual became habitual to her daily daly life lie and was w not always engaging to strangers Mrs Thrale exclaimed upon first frt meeting meUn the renowned actress Why this thi Is a leaden leade goddess goddes we are arell 11 ll 1 worshiping However we shall hal soon statu bearing was gild it Her statuesque ue Wa largely affected by her study of o antique sculpture Once while touring inthe provinces provinces she was requested to buy bu a stucco bust but so s unlike herself that she shedid shedid he did not wonder r that the salesman failed to recognize the original Feeling that she he could do better beter she Ehe studied at sculpture in her leisure moments and executed a bust of herself hersel which may mav maybe be seen een today In South Kensington Kem Her studies studier of marbles marble of served to heighten her statuesque charm chan as Hermione in The Winters Tale ale She told Lord Lor that the first thing that suggested to her the mode moe of expressing Intensity of feeling was the te position of some of the Egyptian stat statues statue statues ues ue with the arms close lown Iown by the side and the hands clenched Comparisons with wih Rachel the great geat French tragedienne were inevitable Those These Toe favored in beholding the art of both actresses were generally agreed agee that in burning intensity Rachel our sur surpassed passed Mrs rs Siddons Siddons especially in her bar rendering of ot passion p llo in its it fiercer fec con concentrations while the English artist retained preeminence In finish h dignity digity and ad pathos Although occasionally ac accused cased of parsimony Mrs Siddons Sid oS never sank to the grasping e for tor which Rachel was so 60 notorious noor aus end I Dr Johnson said mid of his after ater one of his visits i Neither praise rase nor the love of money monty the two powerful corruptions of mankind man mankind mankind kind seem to have depraved her herFor herFor herFor For thirty years lears she charmed her audiences with wih her stare stase ste genius her rich warm rm voice oice and her sympathetic Interpretations Her spir spin spirited face has ha been described by bv a contemporary con contemporary c n temporary as so s thoroughly harmon harmonized harmonIzed harmonized when quiescent and r so o expressive when impassioned that most mot people leople think her more beautiful than t an site ene is I In 1812 she took her leave l ave of d o the he public la ii l then her er great geat character of Lady Mac Macbeth ac I I Ibeth beth beth and reappeared on the stage only I In benefit performances She ally varied the irksome vacuity of the I alY remaining vred twenty years yes of oi he life by readings in public or before the royal family reading Camly chiefly from Milton ion or Shape the speare Some have asserted that speare Bible Bible Shakespeare and ad Milton lUon were the only books booM which she thor com corn comprehended d and these thes abe he kne ke knew v by heart hear Although her intellectuality lay 11 strictly along these lines abe ahe he doubtless s tese enjoyed a more varied varie reading in ad addition noyed to this exceptionally strong foun foundation foundation dation In 1822 12 she published a book beok bok daton called cal ed The Story Stor of ot Our First Par Parents Parents eats Selected From Paradise of Young Persons Lost Ls For the te Use Peron Her poetical never reer fully funy published The latter part Dart art of her life le was sad saddened saddened by b the loss los of husband dene and friends twentysix of her friends dying In six sI years left her restless and desolate delate The Te greatest blow was the death of her eldest eon n Henry Henr tt tte e pro proprietor cm ro of the Edinburgh rh theatre theatre Al Although Although Although though her voice was a gone and she said sd her sight eight was washed wa he away sh la to O devote the remainder of her life to her sons widow do and children Before her death deaU in Ia 1831 she was waa wa overjoyed at the te favorable I reception given to her niece nece Fanny Fany Kemble whose performances she t watched with wih tears of joy running down her face I l ng life Ufe of seventy seventysix six years ears she ebe was ws sincee sincere industrious and ad courageous c ous with an unconquerable love loe of truth which won her the te imme home immediate diate dite confidence of all al with lh whom she came cae in contact Even the riotous rotu mob around arund the te theatre theatre fell fel back when hen It I heard hear the deep dep voice of the dignified woman in the sedan chair appealing Good God people let le me pass pasa pa I am ant Sarah Sah I Siddons Sir Walter Water Scott Scott in Ia responding to a toast to this great gt actress acress and roble noble C spirited te woman woman gracefully voiced the attitude of his lii i contemporaries regard lag ins lo her charms ca After Ater describing the t e usual struggle to 10 secure seure tickets for her he performances the breakfast near the te br n te outside and theatre teat the daylong wait wt the hours wait within after forcing a away away te hours wt ater a awa way wa through the mob he concluded by saying If I anything a thIng could reconcile a aman a aman aman man to old age it I would be the ther reflection lion tion o of having seen se the rising as well as 85 a title the te setting sun of Mrs r Siddons Siddon Those Thos young oung he reiterated who have only seen sen the setting sun of ot this ti distinguished performer beau beautiful au and ad serene as a it I was war WW must mUt give he us old fellows who have ave seen its is rise rl leave leave to hold our heads a little tUe higher |
