Sarah Siddons (née Kemble) (1755-1831), Actress
Sitter associated with 38 portraits
Artist associated with 1 portrait
A leading tragic actress and celebrity, Siddons dominated the London stage from 1782, when she made her debut at Drury Lane, to her farewell in 1812. Part of a powerful theatrical dynasty, her brothers were the actors Philip and Charles Kemble and her husband was the actor Henry Siddons. She was hailed as the chief interpreter of Shakespeare. Her masterpiece was Lady Macbeth as she excelled in roles that allowed her to combine passionate intelligence with pathos. The critic William Hazlitt proclaimed her 'tragedy personified'.
Unknown woman, formerly known as Sarah Siddons (née Kemble)
by Unknown artist
pencil and red chalk, late 18th or early 19th century
NPG 2425
by Gilbert Stuart
oil on canvas, 1787
On display in Room 19 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG 50
Sarah Siddons (née Kemble) ('Mrs Siddons with the Emblems of Tragedy')
by Sir William Beechey
oil on canvas, 1793
On display in Room 12 at the National Portrait Gallery
NPG 5159
by John Henning
enamel paste medallion, 1807
NPG 5460
by Thomas Campbell
marble relief, 1843
NPG 642
Sarah Siddons (née Kemble) in the Character of the Tragic Muse
by Thomas Cook, printed for John Bell
line engraving, published 7 May 1783
NPG D8466
Sarah Siddons (née Kemble) as Melpomene
by James Gillray, published by James Ridgway
etching and aquatint, published 6 December 1784
NPG D19729
Mrs Woods; Sarah Siddons (née Kemble); Mr Sutherland in Hume's 'Douglas'
by John Kay
etching and aquatint, 1784
NPG D16860
Sarah Siddons (née Kemble) as the Tragic Muse
by Francis Haward, after Sir Joshua Reynolds
stipple engraving, published 1787 (1783-1784)
NPG D9069
by Henry Bone, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
pencil drawing squared in ink for transfer, 1798 (1798)
NPG D17318
by and published by Robert Dighton
hand-coloured etching, published 14 December 1799
NPG D10687
by and published by Robert Dighton
hand-coloured etching, published 14 December 1799
NPG D6837
'Blowing up the Pic Nic's; - or - Harlequin Quixotte attacking the puppets'
by James Gillray, published by Hannah Humphrey
hand-coloured etching and aquatint, published 2 April 1802
NPG D12786
'Theatrical mendicants, relieved'
by James Gillray, published by Hannah Humphrey
hand-coloured etching and aquatint, published 15 January 1809
NPG D12915
by Charles Turner, published by Henry Colburn, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
mezzotint, published 20 November 1826 (1797)
NPG D4231
by Richard James Lane, printed by Charles Joseph Hullmandel, published by Joseph Dickinson, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
lithograph, published May 1830
NPG D21810
by Richard James Lane, printed by Charles Joseph Hullmandel, published by Joseph Dickinson, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
lithograph, published May 1830
NPG D21817
by Richard James Lane, published by Joseph Dickinson, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
lithograph, published May 1830
NPG D21827
Sarah Siddons (née Kemble); Tyrone Power as Dr O'Toole in 'The Irish Tutor'; Tyrone Power
by Augustin Edouart
silhouette, 12 August 1832
NPG D396
Siddons
Related People
Cecilia Combe (née Siddons) (daughter)
Adelaide Kemble (Mrs Sartoris) (niece)
Charles Kemble (brother)
Frances ('Fanny') Kemble (sister)
Frances Anne ('Fanny') Kemble (niece)
Henry Vincent James Kemble (nephew)
John Philip Kemble (brother)
Roger Kemble (father)
Stephen Kemble (brother)
Henry Siddons (son)
Sarah Martha ('Sally') Siddons (daughter)
Elizabeth Whitlock (née Kemble) (sister)
Category
Theatre and Live Entertainment
Groups
Actors and actresses
Place
Powys






















