1 gen 1810 anni - Celebrity Caricature

Descrizione:

Source Cited:
McPherson, Heather. Art & Celebrity in the Age of Reynolds & Siddons. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2017, pp. 179-180

"As Siddons aged, caricaturists seized upon her ballooning physique and haughty airs in prints such as Gillray's 'Theatrical Mendicants, Relieved' (1809) and 'Theatrical Jealousy--or--The Rival Queens of Covent Garden,' [...] which morphed into a stigmatizing badge of infamy in 'A Palpable Hit!!!'"

"Siddons, who eschewed breeches out of modesty, never wore such a revealing costume, even in her prime. Sensitive to decorum and protective of her public image, she never acted Hamlet in London, where it was one of Kemble's signature roles."

"In the caricature, the grotesque juxtaposition of Siddon's obese female body with Galindo's athletic male physique visually underscores the transgressive power of her gender-bending performance [she played as a male character: Hamlet] and reveals the dark underside of fandom -- the hatred and resentment lurking beneath the public adulation. The fact that Siddons dared to play Hamlet at age forty-seven and triumphed in the fencing scene doubtless added fuel to the fire."

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