Hamlet: Mrs. Jane Lessingham (1739-83) as Ophelia, London: Covent Garden Theatre, 1772.

James Robertson portrays Mrs. Lessingham in 1772 as Ophelia, traditionally dressed in white, covered with blossoms, and wearing a crown of flowers. This virginal appearance contrasts with her status as Jane Hemet, alias Mrs. Lessingham, actress and mistress of Sir William Addington, a local magistrate. The long disorderly hair was an indication of her madness. This is the first picture of a named actress in the role. She died in 1783. Grignion, Charles, 1717-1810, for John Bell (1741-1831) who published Shakespeare in cheap editions, with illustrations from recent stage productions. Bell's Shakespeare's Plays (1775-76) included thirty-six contemporary portraits of actors and actresses in Shakespearean roles, with the costumes worn for the plays in the eighteenth century. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.