King Lear: Ann Brunton Merry (1768-1808) as Cordelia, 1785.

Cordelia's costume as an ancient British princess is amazingly fashionable, particularly its ostrich feathers, perhaps suggesting she is a kind of "Princess of Wales." She is still wearing them on the battlefield in Image 33 of this Gallery. In 1796 she became the first English actress of eminence that crossed the Atlantic, and easily held her own against all rivalry.This engraving by T. Cook and William Brent, courtesy of Women in Theatre Collection, Univeristy of Illinois Library.