Artwork
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection is a print by the Romanticist artist Michael W. Sharp. It dates from 1824 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Around 1820, engraver Michael W.
About this work
Around 1820, Michael W. Sharp made a print of Mademoiselle Mercandotti. It was part of a larger print collection. The print shows her as a character from the story Cendrillon.
The Romanticism style often highlighted emotion and drama. This portrait likely does that too. It’s a single sheet, not a painting or sculpture.
Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see it.
Overview
Around 1820, engraver Michael W. Sharp produced a single‑sheet print depicting Mademoiselle Mercandotti in the guise of Cendrillon, the French version of Cinderella. The image forms part of a broader assemblage of prints attributed to Sharp, illustrating his interest in literary and theatrical subjects.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait presents Mercandotti dressed as the fairy‑tale heroine, linking a contemporary performer with the romanticized virtues of innocence and transformation associated with Cendrillon. By casting a real figure in a fictional role, the work underscores the period’s fascination with the interplay between stage persona and narrative archetype.
Technique & Style
Executed in the Romantic idiom, the print emphasizes emotive expression through dramatic line work and contrast. Sharp’s engraving employs fine hatching to model the figure’s features and costume, creating a sense of movement and heightened feeling characteristic of early‑19th‑century Romantic visual culture.
History & Provenance
The print entered the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it is catalogued among Sharp’s portrait series. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s broader effort to document British printmaking practices and the cultural circulation of theatrical imagery in the early 1800s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Sharp’s prints in the H Beard Collection capture everyday scenes with crisp, clean lines—think taverns, street life, and country fairs from the 1820s.
