Elisabeth Welch
(1904-2003), SingerSitter in 22 portraits
Born in New York, Welch made her Broadway debut in 1923 but left America in 1929 to work in Paris. There she met Cole Porter, later starring in his musical Nymph Errant (1933) in London. Settling in England, she became one of the great divas of the stage musical and further endeared herself to British audiences in the BBC Radio series Soft Lights and Sweet Music during the 1930s. She appeared in numerous films including Around the Town (1938), Over the Moon (1937) This was Paris (1942) and Fiddlers Three (1944). In her final screen appearance, dressed in gold, she delivered the torch song 'Stormy Weather' in Derek Jarman's adaptation of The Tempest, which has became an iconic moment in her career.
by Constance Freedman
plaster marquette bust, 1976
NPG 7143
- Use this image
- Recent acquisition
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