The National Portrait Gallery was everything I wanted it to be and more. It was completely full of portraits I’ve seen in all of my history textbooks for my entire life – and it was one of the coolest experiences to see them in real life. I didn’t realize how many of these completely historic and revolutionary portraits would be in this museum – but boy, was I pleasantly surprised!!
We walked around for about 2 hours, really taking in each portrait and their respective descriptions, and honestly, I probably could have spent more time in their, if it wasn’t for all of our rumbling stomachs. What immediately caught my eye (and seems to always catch my eye) was the Tudor Era portraits. There is something so enticing about this era, these people, and their stories. They lived in a time so different from ours – their daily life was something we could probably barely even imagine. I find this era so interesting, especially the fashion and the tradition of course the royal drama. But another era that I am deeply drawn to is a little bit later, around the late 1700’s to the early 1900’s. Honestly, this entire 200 year span is my favorite in books, in movies, in fashion, in art, etc. There is just something about it. Ive always said that if I could choose a TV show or a movie to star in, I would want it to be a period piece from this era. Pretty much anything related to Jane Austen I guess. But!!! Its just my favorite! As a little girl, I used to dream about going back in time and getting to live in Paris or London or New York as a girl in this time period, wearing the pretty dresses and speaking in a more formal manner, going to balls and parties and grand dinners. It was my favorite day dream, and honestly in some ways it still is. I really like to think about what life was like for people back then, especially the women.
For this reason, I find myself continuously drawn to the same era of art every time I step into a museum. My body just knows where to go to find it. And that happened today too! I stumbled upon a portrait of Susannah Cibber, an incredibly admired singer and actress of her time. She was pushed into a career in musical theater to help support her family, and the composer Handel actually wrote the contralto arias in Messiah for Susannah. She went on to have one unhappy marriage, and one very happy marriage, in which she thrived as an actress and went on to establish a famous acting method with David Garrick.
This portrait is beautiful. Susannah is beautiful! Immediately from her clothing, we can tell that they are a symbol of her personality and status. She was an incredibly successful performer, and her style was elegant and reformed, so a choice like her white satin dress lined with bows and pearls, covered by a deep blue shawl, and the addition of pearl pins in her up-done hair, makes complete sense for her presence in society and her status as well.
This painting is oil-on-canvas, and is done in an oval shape, which was popular in the 18th century to promote a timeless and classic look to portraits. Susannah is painted in a half-length pose, facing slightly to her right, and with a gaze towards the viewer. This set up is intentional I think to show her strong but graceful personality, and still remain a timeless piece.
The background in this portrait is a plain brownish/green, I think to allow more focus to be drawn to the contrast of Susannah’s white dress and striking blue shawl. Her skin is also very fair, and her cheeks are perfectly pink, which I think the dark background highlights perfectly!
If I could step into this portrait, I think I would see an overwhelmed young woman. Overwhelmed by her career, her marriage(s), and her personal family life. But nonetheless, a clever, wickedly talented, and awfully inspiring young woman. I think I would probably hear her laughing, as that’s something she liked to make people do, and I would probably feel a sense of pride that she was being portrayed in such a beautiful way, knowing that her painting would live on in a museum for millions to see and hear her story – and a pioneering one at that!
Now, onto Hampton Court Palace! Then, to ITALY!!! This trip is going by so fast and I cant believe we only have a week and a half left to go. I don’t think I will ever be ready to say goodbye to London! I miss this trip already and its not even over yet. Thats all!
Also I was very excited to reunite with my dear cousin, Mary Queen of Scotts. Love u girl.
xo, jo
Theatre in London U of A 