Mr. Mathews, as Miss Evelina Evergreen in his Trip to Paris
Mathews was an acclaimed comic actor, hugely popular in London between 1818 and 1834. His talents for mimicry, facial and physical contortion, and ventriloquism were used to embody multiple characters and poke fun at a range of social and national types. His annual "At Homes" (one-man theatrical performances that presented roles in quick succession), featured a range of accents, quick costume changes, and songs and were avidly anticipated each Spring. Here, he appears as a spinster visiting Paris with her pet bird, ready to set off for home. The print relates to the closing scene of a four hour entertainment of 1819, titled "Trip to Paris" that skewered the habits of English tourists. In his "Mono-poly-logue Description of La Diligence," Mathews embodied eight characters--passengers and attendants at a carriage office--and managed to convince the audience that all were in the carriage as it drove off towards Calais at the end.
Artwork Details
- Title: Mr. Mathews, as Miss Evelina Evergreen in his Trip to Paris
- Artist: Isaac Robert Cruikshank (British, London 1789–1856 London)
- Subject: Charles Mathews (British, London 1776–1835 Devonport)
- Date: 1819–25
- Medium: Etching, hand-colored
- Dimensions: Sheet: 6 in. × 7 3/8 in. (15.2 × 18.8 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
- Object Number: 17.3.888-93
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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Isaac Robert Cruikshank
Priscilla Reed
1830–44
Multiple artists/makers
January 1817
Multiple artists/makers
1824
Multiple artists/makers
1819–25
Multiple artists/makers
1819–25
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