MuseoMag: MuseoMag 2022_04

MuseoMag 2022_04

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Title:: MuseoMag 2022_04

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Title:: Rediscovered portrait of an Irish actress and socialite: James Latham's Portrait of Margaret 'Peg' Woffington (1720-1760) offers a multitude of fascinating stories to tell museum visitors

18 museomag 04 ‘ 2022 as well as professional triumph, and must have been at the height of her success in 1745, the year we can date Latham’s portrait to on stylistic grounds. Unlike many of his contemporaries who made their living from portraiture, Latham was evidently not in the habit of excessively flattering his models. This is well illustrated by the following anecdote recounted by his biographer Pasquin: “When Latham was in his pros- perity, a lady of distinction, with coarse lineaments, sat to him for her portrait, which he drew faithfully; but she was so disgusted with the performance, that she abused the painter; who immediately tore it from the frame, and had it nailed on the floor of his hall, as a piece of oil-cloth. The consequence was, that every person who came in, knew the likeness; and the anec- dote became so general, that the mortified nymph repented her vain indiscretion, and offered to buy the picture at any terms; which the artist peremptorily refused; and was so ungallant as to have her effigy trodden under the feet even of his domestics.” (A. Pasquin, Memoirs of the Royal Academicians and an Authentic History of the Artists in Ireland, London 1796, p. 29). Indeed, the model in Latham’s painting now at the MNHA doesn’t have the very long, straight nose that fashionable women usually are seen with in British portraiture at the time – including several existing portraits of Peg Woffington. Her oval face, Pieter van Bleeck (1697-1764), Portrait of the actress Margaret ‘Peg’ Woffington, as Phebe, 1747. Mezzotint and engraving on paper, 351 x 250 mm. Rijksprentenkabinet, Amsterdam. high forehead and prominent nose, however, generally match up with the features displayed in these portraits. The portrayal of Peg Woffington as Phebe of 1747 by Pieter van Bleeck is a good example of this. DRESSED AS AN ACTRESS When I consulted our colleagues from the Department of Textiles and Fashion at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, they concluded that Latham’s portrait should be dated to about 1745-50, based on the sitter’s hairstyle and lace necklace. Peg Woffington’s outfit doesn’t reflect the fashionable dress of the time but instead is a form of classical/artistic dress seen only in portraiture. It isn’t something that would have been worn in everyday life and is typified by the front clasp closures and the scalloped sleeve, neither of which featured in the fashion of the day. The heyday of this style was the late 17th century, as shown in portraits by other British painters like Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680), but it carried over into the early 18th century in paintings by Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) and are still present later on in the work of the aforementioned Joseph Highmore. Although there is no direct link to the theatre, the sitter’s dress in the MNHA’s portrait does indeed look theatrical to the specialists of the V&A and appears to confirm her presumed identity as an actress. In conclusion, Latham’s striking portrait of Peg Woffington seems to be an exciting art historical disco- very and brings a remarkable woman back to the fore. Its acquisition not only adds a beautiful work of art to the MNHA’s collection of international portraits, but also a multitude of fascinating stories to tell museum visitors. The portrait’s aesthetic qualities and narrative power make it an attractive work to loan out interna- tionally too, which, in turn, increases public familiarity with our collection. And that’s exactly the direction in which the MNHA wants to go: towards you, the visitor! Ruud Priem REDISCOVERED PORTRAIT OF AN IRISH ACTRESS AND SOCIALITE (2/2)

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