Abigail Betts; Harriet Catherine Fiddes (née Cawse)
1 portrait by Alfred Edward Chalon
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- Extended Catalogue Entry
Abigail Betts; Harriet Catherine Fiddes (née Cawse)
by Alfred Edward Chalon
watercolour and pen and ink, circa 1828
12 1/2 in. x 8 3/4 in. (320 mm x 220 mm)
Purchased, 1922
Primary Collection
NPG 1962(j)
Sittersback to top
- Abigail Betts (1800-1867), Singer. Sitter in 1 portrait. Identify
- Harriet Catherine Fiddes (née Cawse) (circa 1812-1889), Singer and actress. Sitter in 1 portrait. Identify
Artistback to top
- Alfred Edward Chalon (1780-1860), Portrait and subject painter. Artist or producer associated with 180 portraits, Sitter associated with 1 portrait.
This portraitback to top
This watercolour sketch shows the British singers Betts and Cawse as the sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella in Tit for Tat, an English re-working of Mozart's opera Così fan tutte at the English Opera House in 1828. Little is known about Betts's career, but she was described in a contemporary source as a 'fine but inanimate singer'. Cawse was more well-known, often appearing with her sister Mary. She made her debut at Covent Garden in 1825 and was described as a 'charming little performer'. In Tit for Tat, both performers were criticised for 'a little hardness of voice'.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 55
- Walker, Richard, Regency Portraits, 1985, p. 632
Linked displays and exhibitionsback to top
- Alfred Chalon at the Opera (25 May 2010 - 13 February 2011)
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1828back to top
Current affairs
Duke of Wellington becomes Prime Minister.Madhouse Act attempts to regulate asylums and ensure new arrivals are genuinely insane.
Repeal of the Test Acts removes political restrictions from dissenters, allowing them to hold public office.
Art and science
London Zoological Gardens open in Regent's Park. They provide both entertainment and a supply of exotic specimens for naturalists and anatomists such as Richard Owen who becomes a European authority on the subject.International
Daniel O'Connell is elected Member of Parliament for County Clare but as a Catholic is not permitted to take his seat.Comments back to top
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