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Notes
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Actor, theatre manager and playwright, John Philip Kemble was the oldest son of Roger Kemble, who managed a touring theatre company. He followed his sister Sarah Siddons to Drury Lane, where he first appeared as Hamlet in 1783. He played a wide range of characters and excelled in Shakespearian tragedy, often appearing opposite Siddons. Between 1788 and 1796 he was also actor-manager at Drury Lane under Richard Brinsley Sheridan until he and Siddons defected to Covent Garden Theatre where he became manager and part-owner. He wrote a number of plays and had a deep knowledge of drama and stagecraft. He retired in 1817 after playing the title role in Coriolanus. This is an example of a 'half-history painting' which explored the relationship between portraiture and history painting.
Title
John Philip Kemble
Date
1812
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 267.2 x W 181.8 cm
Accession number
6869
Acquisition method
Purchased with help from the Art Fund, Gift Aid visitor ticket donations and the Garrick Club, 2009
Work type
Painting
National Portrait Gallery, London
St Martin’s Place, London, Greater London WC2H 0HE England
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Mrs Sarah Siddons, née Sarah Kemble, as 'Mrs Haller' in Kotzebue's 'The Stranger' Museum of London -
Lady Lea Victoria and Albert Museum -
Head of an Old Lady Victoria and Albert Museum -
William Carr (1768–1854), Viscount Beresford, GCB English Heritage, The Wellington Collection, Apsley House -
The Right Honourable Edward Pellew (1757–1833), 1st Viscount Exmouth, Vice-Admiral of England Teignmouth & Shaldon Museum: Teign Heritage -
James Haughton Langston of Sarsden (1796–1863), MP for Oxford (1826–1835 & 1841–1863) Oxford Town Hall -
Joseph Farington (1747–1821), RA Judges' Lodgings, Lancaster - 338 more