Charles Kemble
- Artist: Henry Perronet Briggs
- Date: 1830
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 30 in. x 25 1/8 in. (763 mm x 640 mm)
- Portrays: Charles Kemble
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is “Charles Kemble.” The portrait shows the actor in a relaxed pose, his face rendered with careful oil brushwork that gives the skin a soft glow. Briggs, an early‑nineteenth‑century subject painter and antiquary, used oil on canvas to capture the actor’s thoughtful expression.
The sitter, Charles Kemble (1775–1854), was not only a performer but also a theatre manager and playwright. He debuted in 1794 as Malcolm opposite his brother in *Macbeth* at Drury Lane, and later ran Covent Garden Theatre from 1822 to 1832—a difficult period that saw singers like Catherine Stephens leave for Drury Lane.
Kemble’s career spanned both comedies and tragedies, and he was noted for bringing realism to stage productions; his 1842 staging of *The Tempest* famously used a real ship in the storm scene. This portrait sits among other oil paintings in the National Portrait Gallery, capturing a vibrant moment from the world of early‑modern theatre.
See it in person
Charles Kemble is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
