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The Bard's Plays in Pictures: Shakespeare in the Baillieu Library

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The Bard's Plays in Pictures: Shakespeare in the Baillieu Library The Bard’s plays in pictures Shakespeare in the Baillieu Library Print Collection Callum Reid On 19 October 1741, David Garrick donned the costume of Richard III for his first Shakespearean performance in London. Roughly four years later, when William Hogarth painted him in this eponymous role, Garrick (1717–1779) had become one of the most popular stage actors in Britain, each performance enhancing his fame, and stimulating a taste for all things Shakespeare. Hogarth’s painting, Mr. Garrick in the character of Richard the III D, gained a significant reputation through the second half of the 18th century; as Garrick’s popularity rose, the scene was widely disseminated through engravings based on the painting—some produced under Hogarth’s supervision, others created independently (illustrated right).1 that can be explored through the the first to garnish the complete The scene is set mid-performance, Baillieu Library Print Collection works with illustrations, following as King Richard wakes from a dream at the University of Melbourne: Nicholas Rowe’s 1709 Works of in which he is visited by the ghosts illustrated scenes from Shakespeare, Mr. William Shakespear: In six volumes. of his murdered rivals. Shakespeare portraits of Shakespearean actors, Adorn’d with cuts.4 Illustrations for scholar Stuart Sillars observes that and the engraved volumes from the Theobald’s volumes were lavishly ‘this is the one point in the play where Boydell Shakespeare Gallery. designed by French engraver Hubert- time is suspended, since just for an A turning point in the history François Bourguignon, known as instant Richard thinks he is in one of illustrations based on the Bard’s ‘Gravelot’, and realised by Gerard place but in reality is in another’.2 works occurred a year before Garrick Vandergucht, a Flemish engraver The work was particularly unusual first played the role of Richard III. born in London. Among the Baillieu for the time, as it could be interpreted In 1740 the publication of the second Library Print Collection’s holdings as both a portrait and as a history edition of Lewis Theobald’s Works of illustrations from this volume is painting. I chose it to introduce this of Shakespeare brought the text into the frontispiece for The tempest (see essay as it fits into three important a distinctly contemporaneous visual p. 42).5 Rather than illustrating the aspects of Shakespearean print culture setting.3 These volumes were among eponymous storm that adorned earlier Callum Reid, ‘The Bard’s plays in pictures’ 41 Previous page: Unknown printmaker, after William Hogarth, Mr. Garrick in the character of Richard the III D, c. 1750–1800, engraving, 25.2 × 35.4 cm (sheet). 1994.2070, Baillieu Library Print Collection, University of Melbourne. Below Gerard Vandergucht (engraver), after ‘H. Gravelot’ (Hubert-François Bourguignon), published by H. Lintott etc. for Lewis Theobold, 1740, Vol. 1. P. 1 [illustration to The tempest], etching, 16.8 × 10.0 cm (sheet). 1959.5380, gift of Dr J. Orde Poynton 1959, Baillieu Library Print Collection, University of Melbourne. editions, Gravelot chose the pastoral charm of the log-bearing scene (Act 3, Scene 1), creating a setting reminiscent of an 18th-century rococo romance.6 His preliminary design (held in the British Museum) is coloured in charming pastel tones, reaffirming this vision.7 As Ferdinand and Miranda’s love blossoms in front of the reader’s eyes, Prospero stands silently in the background, the engraved version obscuring him in a thicket of hatched shadow. Instead of representing his conjured storm, this image conveys the sorcerer’s silent, dark and contained power, set against the whimsy of the young couple’s storyline. Among the various illustrated editions of Shakespeare, John Bell’s series of acting and theatrical editions, first published in 1773, became the most popular among 18th-century audiences, with innovations that became benchmarks for the future production of similar volumes.8 Bell’s first major advance was to shift the illustrations from frontispieces into the body of the text, next to the action being represented. Thus, a small rearrangement of existing parts led to a complete reconfiguration of the manner in which readers absorbed the scenes.9 To guide the reader further, a quote was printed beneath each image, indicating the moment 42 University of Melbourne Collections, issue 18, June 2016 Unknown engraver, after James Roberts the younger, published for John Bell, 1775, Mrs Barry in the character of Constance [from King John], engraving, 17.5 × 10.7 cm (sheet). 2012.0128, gift of Russell Beedles 2012, Baillieu Library Print Collection, University of Melbourne. that the action was occurring. In a similar spotlight on the actor, this way the engravings allowed the foreshadowing the trend promoted by contemporary reader to experience Bell through the 1770–80s.12 Shakespeare in the space between the This trend continued into the still image and the text, the quoted 19th century and, in 1856, New lines identifying a single point in the York publishers Martin, Johnson story. The images provided a setting & Co. pressed a line-and-stipple for the verse, while the verse in turn engraving of Charles and Ellen Kean gave movement to the images, an in the characters of King John and experience intensified by the highly Constance.13 These actors would hold emotive moments chosen. significance for Australian audiences, The second innovation born as seven years later they were part from Bell’s editions was the of a tour that included the United depiction of characters as portraits States and Australia. In the distinctly of contemporary actors and actresses Victorian illustration, the figures pose who were known for a particular role. motionless, like sitters for a portrait. Illustrating Act 2 of King John in This absence of action intentionally Bell’s Shakespeare for instance, highlights the attention paid to detail Mrs Barry theatrically pulls part in the costumes and scenery, a priority of her headdress from her hair, for 19th-century stage productions. motioning to fling it out of the As has been seen thus far, a taste picture (right). In a print by an for Shakespeare grew prodigiously unknown engraver after a design by portraits for Bell’s editions maintain through the second half of the 18th James Roberts the younger (1748– this focus on the actors and actresses century. In 1786, London alderman 1809), the scene is captioned with the themselves, even in variants that add and publisher John Boydell sought to words of her character, Constance: a small amount of scenery.11 Indeed, combine the Bard’s popularity with ‘I will not keep this form upon my David Garrick remained in many ways that of the greatest British artists of head, When there is such a disorder responsible for the rising celebrity the day. The project, devised with his in my wit’.10 Background scenery is status of the Shakespearean actor, nephew Josiah Boydell and bookseller conspicuously absent. Instead, the and the contemporary popularity of George Nicol, was proposed in the white page acts as the spotlight, the the theatre made these new editions following terms: figure isolated during her emotional especially marketable. For instance, soliloquy. Unlike Mr. Garrick in the the frontispiece for the 1756 Dublin Mr. Alderman Boydell, Josiah character of Richard the III D, where edition of The tragical history of King Boydell, and George Nicol, Hogarth has assembled a rich setting Richard III is a version of Hogarth’s propose to publish by subscription in which to situate his character, the Mr Garrick, cropped to achieve a most magnificent and Callum Reid, ‘The Bard’s plays in pictures’ 43 Luigi Schiavonetti (engraver), after Joshua Reynolds, published by John and Josiah Boydell, 1799, Midsummer-night’s dream Act 2. Scene 2. A wood—Robin Good-Fellow, stipple engraving, 26.8 × 18.6 cm (image). 1959.3835, gift of Dr J. Orde Poynton 1959, Baillieu Library Print Collection, University of Melbourne. accurate edition of the plays of English School of Historical Painting, Henry Fuseli’s King Lear casting Shakespeare, in eight volumes Of was the great object of the present out his daughter Cordelia was the largest Quarto Size, on the design’.15 among the largest paintings in the finest Royal Atlag Paper, to be Sir Joshua Reynolds, president of Shakespeare Gallery, at 2.6 metres fabricated for that Purpose … To the Royal Academy, was among the high and 3.63 metres wide.17 King accompany this work Messieurs artists commissioned to contribute to Lear leaps madly from his seat and Boydell intend to publish by the new Shakespeare Gallery, which gestures furiously to banish Cordelia, subscription a series of large opened in 1789 to great fanfare. who has failed to proclaim her love and capital prints After Pictures Reynolds’ third and final submission, for him to his satisfaction. The stipple to be immediately painted by Midsummer-night’s dream, also engraving completed in 1792 by the following Artists, from the called Robin Good-Fellow, or Puck, Richard Earlom (see p. 46) attempts most striking Scenes in the same was reproduced in print by Luigi to capture this drama within the Author … The pictures will be Schiavonetti in 1799 (opposite). limitations of the printed page. The of various Sizes, chiefly as large The painting was first imagined as principal protagonists are lit the as Life. As soon as they have a simple portrait of a playful infant, most strongly: Cordelia, Lear, his all been engraved, they will be only later transformed into the servant the earl of Kent and his two hung up in a Gallery built on mischievous imp through the addition eldest daughters, Goneril and Regan. Purpose, and called the Gallery of several identifying characteristics Alongside this spotlighting technique, of Shakspeare.14 and background figures.
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