Sarah Siddons of feminine propriety. Commissioned and completed in 1784, Sir Joshua Reynolds' portrait, "Sarah Siddons as The Tragic Muse", is characterized by Reynolds' inspiration, contextualisation of the Muse, and distinctive brush work and paint palette. This portrait, as Heather McPherson writes, became the known depiction of tragedy, infused with contemporary ideas about acting and representation of the passions in Siddons' melancholy expression and deportment. Mary Hamilton's correspondence with her fiancé illuminated its seamless transition from "the artist's studio to the theatrical stage", practical venues that interlocked in the eighteenth century and formed a large part in creating the very idea of
Harriet Siddons on 2 November 1844. Harriet Siddons Harriet Siddons (née Murray; 16 April 1783 2 November 1844), sometimes known as Mrs Henry Siddons, was a Scottish actress and theatre manager. She was the daughter of actor Charles Murray and his second wife Ann Murray born at Norwich, Norfolk on 16April 1783. As a young child she appeared at Bath as Prince Arthur on 1July 1793. She married first to Joseph Leathley Cowell (1792-1863). Her first London appearance was at Covent Garden Theatre as Perdita in "The Winter's Tale", 12 May 1798. She remained at the theatre until the summer of 1805,