Blank greetings card with envelope featuring:

Sarah Siddons (née Kemble) ('Mrs Siddons with the Emblems of Tragedy') NPG 5159

© National Portrait Gallery, London

by Sir William Beechey

Following David Garrick's model of self-promotion, Siddons associated her personal reputation with that of Shakespeare and used portraiture to seal her fame. This portrait was probably inspired by her performances as Lady Macbeth, her most famous role. Siddons, holding a tragic mask and a dagger, is shown with a monument to Shakespeare. The representation caused much debate when shown at the Royal Academy in 1794, one critic thought it inappropriate and 'disgusting'. Such public furore secured Siddons's reputation and underpinned her celebrity. Beechey's... more

Card size: 125mm x 175mm

Images are printed in their original proportions, within a white border.