Sargent's Iconic Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth: A Masterpiece of Theatre and Portraiture
The 1889 painting Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth by John Singer Sargent, housed at Tate Britain, captures the actress in a pivotal role. Sargent, who was born to American parents in Florence and trained in Paris, relocated to London in 1884, quickly establishing himself as a prominent portrait artist. In the artwork, Terry is depicted holding the Scottish crown, a representation of Lady Macbeth's ambition, dressed in a costume created by Alice Comyns Carr, which includes emerald silk and a purple velvet cloak. Sargent modified the attire to appear more blue, enhancing its Pre-Raphaelite essence. Acquired by Henry Irving for the Lyceum Theatre, the portrait served both as a tribute to Terry and a promotional piece for the production, with Sargent also designing an ornate gilt frame to reflect his connection to the theatre.
Key facts
- John Singer Sargent painted Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth in 1889; it is now in Tate Britain, London.
- Ellen Terry (1847–1928) was a leading 19th-century actor and a celebrity with a controversial love life.
- The portrait shows Terry raising the Scottish crown above her head, a pose not in Shakespeare's text or the Lyceum production.
- Terry's costume, designed by Alice Comyns Carr, used over a thousand beetle-wing cases on emerald green silk to create an iridescent, snake-like effect.
- Sargent made the dress appear more blue than green, reportedly on the advice of Edward Burne-Jones, who visited his studio.
- Henry Irving, the play's producer, bought the painting and hung it in the Lyceum Theatre.
- Sargent also designed an elaborate gilt, Celtic-style frame for the painting.
- The portrait was not Sargent's only theatrical subject; he also painted La Carmencita (1890) and El Jaleo (1882).
Entities
Artists
- John Singer Sargent
- Ellen Terry
- George Frederic Watts
- Edward William Godwin
- Henry Irving
- Alice Comyns Carr
- Charles Cattermole
- Adaline Nettleship
- Edward Burne-Jones
- Claude Monet
- Robert Louis Stevenson
- Vernon Lee
- La Carmencita
- Carmen Doucet Moreno
Institutions
- Aberdeen Art Gallery
- National Portrait Gallery
- National Trust
- Smallhythe Place
- Tate Britain
- Lyceum Theatre
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
- Musée d'Orsay
Locations
- Florence
- Italy
- Paris
- France
- London
- UK
- Aberdeen
- Boston
- MA
- USA
- Spain