Janet Baker
1 portrait of Janet Baker
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Janet Baker
by Daphne Todd
oil on board, 1987
36 in. x 24 in. (914 mm x 610 mm)
Given by Daphne Todd, 1988
Primary Collection
NPG 5987
This portraitback to top
The portrait was painted in the attic of the sitter's house, a small spotlight supplemented the daylight for theatrical effect. She wore a favourite sequinned dress, and was silently learning a song from the cycle La Chanson d'Ève by Gabriel Fauré.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 29
Events of 1987back to top
Current affairs
Hurricane-force winds batter southern England, blowing-down trees, and damaging buildings, blocking roads and causing 19 deaths. The storm was not predicted by the Met Office, a fact that is often jeeringly referred to by quoting Michael Fish's response to a report that 'there was a hurricane on the way…don't worry… there isn't' (the report was actually referring to Florida, not the UK).Art and science
Alan Bennett's series of monologues Talking Heads is aired by the BBC. The series featured a set of characters that show the secret lives of the English: their dreams, frustrations, and fantasies. The impressive cast included Dame Thora Hird, Patricia Routledge, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters and Bennett himself.International
The second largest ever one-day percentage decline in the stock market is named Black Monday. The Dow Jones index in the USA dropped dramatically followed by similar drops around the world. It is still unclear what exactly caused the crash, although worldwide panic selling certainly made it escalate.Terry Waite is taken hostage while trying to negotiate the release of four men held by the Islamic Jihad in Beirut.
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