Be Inspired: Shakespeare and Me
Ethel Webling: Artist and miniaturist
While relatively little is known about Ethel Webling (1860-1929), we do know that she moved within the theatrical and artistic circles of her day. Her sister Peggy wrote the script for the first stage version of Mary Shelley’s 'Frankenstein' and both were friends of art critic John Ruskin. Ethel's contacts in the theatre world meant that she was able to sit in the wings while productions were being staged.
She created her own personal version of Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar', as performed at Her Majesty's Theatre, London, by pasting text from a printed version of the play onto sheets and decorating each section with her own watercolour paintings. Not only does this provide an idea of how the production looked on the stage and how it was designed, it also shows us miniature portraits of the actors in role.
Image credit
Hand-coloured record of a performance of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London
Illustrated by Ethel Webling
1898
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