Sarah Siddons (née Kemble)
(1755-1831), ActressMid-Georgian Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter associated with 38 portraits
Artist associated with 1 portrait
A leading tragic actress and celebrity, Siddons's first major success came in 1782 with her portrayal of Isabella in the Fatal Marriage, written by David Garrick the leading actor-manager of the period. Siddons continued to dominate the London stage until her farewell in 1812. Part of a powerful theatrical dynasty, her brothers were the actors Philip and Charles Kemble, her husband was the actor William Siddons and her son, Henry Siddons was also an actor. 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'.
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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
by John Downman
chalk, 1787
NPG 2651
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 Zara
by John Raphael Smith, published by and after Sir Thomas Lawrence
mezzotint, published 18 June 1783
NPG D41673
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 D41671
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
'Mrs Siddons and her Son in the Tragedy of Isabella' (Sarah Siddons (née Kemble); Henry Siddons)
by and published by James Caldwall, published by and after William Hamilton
mezzotint, published 1 June 1785
NPG D41670
after Thomas Gainsborough
offset lithograph printed in colours, (1785)
NPG D41676
Sarah Siddons (née Kemble) as the Tragic Muse
by Francis Haward, after Sir Joshua Reynolds
stipple engraving, published 1787 (1783-1784)
NPG D9069
Sarah Siddons (née Kemble) ('Mrs Siddons in the Tragedy of the Grecian Daughter')
by James Caldwall, after William Hamilton
line engraving, published 1789
NPG D10715
by Henry Bone, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
pencil drawing squared in ink for transfer, 1798 (1798)
NPG D17318
by Henry Bone, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
pencil and ink drawing squared in ink for transfer, 1798 (1798)
NPG D17562
published by Photographische Gesellschaft, after Sir Thomas Lawrence
photogravure, 1900 or before (1798)
NPG D41672
Sarah Siddons (née Kemble) as the Tragic Muse
by Joseph Webb, published by Hannah Humphrey, after Sir Joshua Reynolds
hand-coloured mixed-method engraving, published 10 June 1798 (1783-1784)
NPG D41674
by and published by Robert Dighton
hand-coloured etching, published 14 December 1799
NPG D10687
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)
- George John Siddons (son)
- Henry Siddons (son)
- Maria Siddons (daughter)
- Sarah Martha ('Sally') Siddons (daughter)
- Elizabeth Whitlock (née Kemble) (sister)
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