Artwork
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection is a print by the Romanticist artist Samuel De Wilde. It dates from 12 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This 1791 engraving presents a single male figure in theatrical costume, rendered in ink on paper.
About this work
This print shows a man on stage, dressed for a play from 1791. It’s a small engraving, not a painting—just ink on paper. The artist used fine lines to capture a single figure.
The man’s role is named in the title: Jack Meggot from The Suspicious Husband. That play was all the rage back then.
Next time you’re in London, swing by the Victoria and Albert Museum to see prints like this.
Overview
This 1791 engraving presents a single male figure in theatrical costume, rendered in ink on paper. The work is a portrait of Mr. Bernard portraying the character Jack Meggot from the contemporary comedy The Suspicious Husband. It belongs to the Harry Beard collection of prints.
Subject & Meaning
The image captures the actor in the role of Jack Meggot, a comic part in The Suspicious Husband, a play that enjoyed considerable popularity in the late eighteenth century. The portrait serves both as a likeness of the performer and as a visual record of a specific stage costume.
Technique & Style
Executed as an engraving, the piece relies on delicate, closely spaced lines to model the figure’s features and attire. The medium—ink on paper—allows for fine detail and a crisp contrast between the dark lines and the white background, typical of portrait prints of the period.
History & Provenance
Created in 1791, the print later entered the Harry Beard Print Collection, a private assemblage of eighteenth‑century graphic works. Its survival in this collection provides insight into the circulation of theatrical portraiture during the era.
Context
The Suspicious Husband, a comedy by Susanna Centlivre, was frequently staged in London theatres of the 1790s, and actors often commissioned prints to commemorate successful roles. This engraving reflects that practice, linking the visual culture of printmaking with the theatrical world of the time.
Artist & collection
Artist
Samuel De Wilde (1751 – 19 January 1832), born and died in London, was a portrait painter and etcher of Dutch descent famous for his theatrical paintings.
William Farren (1786–1861), as Lord Ogleby in 'The Clandestine Marriage' by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick
John Liston (c.1776–1846), as Pompey in 'Measure for Measure' by William Shakespeare
Mr Suett as Dicky Gossip in 'My Grandmother'
Portrait of George Davies Harley
Mr Robert Palmer as My Lord Duke
Mr Robert Palmer as Tom
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection
