Joshua Reynolds Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse, 1784/9
© The Trustees of the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
(1755-1831)
'Power was seated on her brow...
She was tragedy personified.'
William Hazlitt
Sarah Siddons was the eldest daughter of a strolling actor-manager, Roger Kemble, and sister of Charles Kemble, who also became a famous actor. She became celebrated as the greatest tragic actress of her day in 1782 when performing at the Drury Lane theatre owned by Reynolds's friend Sheridan, and managed to maintain that position until her official retirement in 1812. Particularly known for her interpretation of Shakespearian heroines, especially Lady Macbeth, she became a friend of Reynolds, Johnson, Walpole and many other eminent figures.