Artwork
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection is a print by the Romanticist artist Carlton House Magazine. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This is a print from around 1800. It shows a woman on stage dressed as Madelon in the play The Surrender of Calais. The work belongs to the Romanticism movement.
It’s an engraved portrait from Carlton House Magazine. The Victoria and Albert Museum calls it part of the Harry Beard Collection.
See what else the Victoria and Albert Museum has.
Overview
An early nineteenth‑century engraved portrait depicts the actress Mrs Bland in costume as Madelon, a character from the stage production of *The Surrender of Calais*. Produced circa 1800, the image is catalogued within the Harry Beard Print Collection and originates from an issue of *Carlton House Magazine*.
Subject & Meaning
The print captures a theatrical moment, presenting Mrs Bland in the role of Madelon, a figure associated with the historical drama of Calais’s capitulation. By portraying the actress in costume, the image serves both as a likeness of a contemporary performer and as a visual record of the play’s staging and costume design.
Technique & Style
Executed as an engraving, the work employs line work typical of early Romantic printmaking, emphasizing contrast and fine detail to convey texture in costume and facial expression. The Romantic aesthetic is evident in its dramatic composition and the emphasis on individual emotion within a historical narrative.
History & Provenance
The portrait first appeared in *Carlton House Magazine*, a periodical that circulated fashionable and cultural content in the turn‑of‑the‑century United Kingdom. It later entered the Harry Beard Collection, a private assemblage of prints now held by the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it is listed among the institution’s holdings.
Context
*The Surrender of Calais* was a popular melodrama in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, reflecting Romantic interest in historic events and national identity. Portraits of actors in costume were common promotional material, bridging theatre and visual arts and catering to a growing public appetite for celebrity imagery.
Artist & collection
Artist
This was a London magazine that printed colorful fashion plates and satirical prints around 1800.
