Browse Items (196 total)

William Powell as Oroonoko recoiling backwards with both arms extended and hands outstretched. His left leg is bent while his right is extended forward. Aboan slouches to the left of him, beside a group of trees. Behind the figures is a small town.

Engraved half-length portrait of John Gay. Below is an inscription: "M. John Gay, Author of the Beggar's Opera/ His Epitaph wrote by himself./ Life is a Jest, & all things show it,/ I thought so once, but now I know it./ To Alexander Pope Esq:…

This full-length portrait of Dryden emphasizes his sources in the volumes ( Montaigne, Horace, Virgil, Homer) on the table at his left hand. A dog looks up at Dryden from the foreground; an eagle is depicted on the ledge. A distant view of Parnassus…

John Dryden, dramatist and newly appointed poet laureate. The decorative border includes quotes from Roman poets, laurel branches, and the motto "Par omnibus Vnus" (one to equal them all). See a fuller description from the Historical Portraits Image…

Reconstruction of the interior of a playhouse (probably Drury Lane, circa 1674) and exterior streets, represented from an overhead cut-away view. Parts of building labeled.

Portrait of Ira Aldridge in the role of Othello. Standing in front of a curtain, he holds a cutlass in his right hand and points with his left hand. Behind his right side, sits a male figure.

In this scene, a bear chained to a large wooden stake in the middle of the arena prepares to defend itself against the on-rushing pack of dogs. In the lower left corner of the illustration, an animal handler/referee watches the scene with a large…

Full-length portrait of Litchfield in the role of Imoinda. Standing in front of a forest, she faces slightly left with arms outspread and the right palm forward. She wears a dark beaded necklace, a turban with a large feather, and a dark fringed sash…

Mahogany chair with medallion of William Shakespeare in profile. On the hoofed legs of the chair, there are faces. On the crest is a feather quill, a mask, a scroll, a trumpet and a dagger. For further information, see The Royal Collection Trust.

David Garrick being courted by Tragedy and Comedy. Comedy playfully pulls at Garrick's right arm while Tragedy, with her left arm raised, pulls at Garrick's left.