Thomas King in "The Clandestine Marriage" by George Colman and David Garrick
Date:
ca. 1792
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
14 x 10 3/4 inches (35.6 x 27.3 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1981.25.238
Gallery Label:
Thomas King originated the role of Lord Ogleby when the comedy The Clandestine Marriage made its debut at Drury Lane on February 20, 1766. This and other performances cemented his reputation as one of the finest comic actors of his time. Samuel De Wilde’s own career as a painter of theatrical portraits took off in 1791 with the publication of the second issue of John Bell’s British Theatre (published serially 1791–97), a miscellany of plays. Each issue consisted of a play accompanied by a vignette and a full-length portrait of a leading actor or actress of the day in character. For The Clandestine Marriage, the engraving after De Wilde’s painting included a line from a scene in a garden, where the vain and lecherous Lord Ogleby discusses his desire for the young and lovely heroine Fanny with his Swiss valet, Canton. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016
