Re-Release Kiki de Montparnasse Part One

In Part One we explored Fanny’s childhood: her time away at boarding schools in France, her passion for literature and writing, and her early intellectual pursuits. We then explored Fanny’s debut as Juliet at Covent Garden, how she catapulted into stardom overnight and helped save her family from financial ruin, and finally, her decision to tour America with her father. We left things off in our story just after Fanny’s successful run in New York, where she dazzled American audiences with her breathtaking performances. In Part Two we finish Fanny's incredible story and aim to further honor her legacy as the forward-thinking woman she was; as a powerful performer who first took London by storm at the mere age of nineteen, as a fierce and lion-hearted advocate who committed herself to the abolitionist cause, as a brilliant and prolific writer who published over a dozen original works, and as a strong and spirited woman who bravely fought for a better and more just world.

Listen to ArtMuse's episode on the English actress, author, and abolitionist, Fanny Kemble. Fanny was born into one of the most famous acting families in England but her destiny was not on the stage. Though she did premiere at Covent Garden at the age of nineteen to help save her family’s theater from ruin, her heart belonged elsewhere. From an early age, Fanny was drawn to the world of literature and dreamed of one day becoming a writer. When she married a wealthy American man at the age twenty-four, she was able to leave her career on the stage behind. But Fanny was in for a rude awakening when she discovered his wealth came from his family’s plantation in Georgia. When she visited the plantation in 1831, she came face to face with the brutality of slavery, and committed herself to the abolitionist cause. She not only educated slaves behind her husband’s back but meticulously recorded her experience in a journal, which was later published in 1863. It remains one of the most vivid first hand accounts of slavery in American history. Fanny not only went on to divorce her husband, but became a prolific writer, publishing a number of memoirs, plays, and poems in her later life. She was bold and defiant, unafraid to stick it to the man, and fiercely fought for a better world. In this episode, we aim to honor Fanny Kemble as the strong and spirited woman she was, who first dazzled audiences as a rising actress in London, committed herself to the abolitionist cause during her time in America, later went on to become an accomplished author, supported herself as a divorced woman through her innovative readings, and who, as the author Henry James once said, had “an abundance of being”.

ArtMuse is re-releasing ArtMuse’s two part episode on the artist’s model, avant-garde performance artist, and political advocate, Lady Emma Hamilton. Emma Hamilton rose from rags to riches to become one of Europe’s first female celebrities. Born into poverty, Emma worked her way from maid, to courtesan, to artist model, and eventually to the wife of the British Ambassador to Naples. And perhaps most famously, Emma later became the lover of the famed Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. Emma was also the famed English painter, George Romney’s, most beloved model and muse, and he painted her over sixty times over the course of their working relationship. In addition, Emma invented a form of performance art which she called “Attitudes”. “Attitudes” was well ahead of its time, and is a testament to Emma’s genius as a performer. In ArtMuse’s two part episode, we honor Emma as the determined, ambitious, brave, open-minded and inspiring woman she was. Emma Hamilton fits in nicely with Season Three’s theme of artist models who were also performers in their own right.

ArtMuse is re-releasing ArtMuse’s two part episode on the artist’s model, avant-garde performance artist, and political advocate, Lady Emma Hamilton. Emma Hamilton rose from rags to riches to become one of Europe’s first female celebrities. Born into poverty, Emma worked her way from maid, to courtesan, to artist model, and eventually to the wife of the British Ambassador to Naples. And perhaps most famously, Emma later became the lover of the famed Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. Emma was also the famed English painter, George Romney’s, most beloved model and muse, and he painted her over sixty times over the course of their working relationship. In addition, Emma invented a form of performance art which she called “Attitudes”. “Attitudes” was well ahead of its time, and is a testament to Emma’s genius as a performer. In ArtMuse’s two part episode, we honor Emma as the determined, ambitious, brave, open-minded and inspiring woman she was. Emma Hamilton fits in nicely with Season Three’s theme of artist models who were also performers in their own right.

In Part One we explored Sarah’s childhood, her early days as a performer, and her marriage to fellow actor William Siddons. We then explored Sarah’s discovery by David Garrick, her disastrous first season in London, and her eventual success in Bath. We left things in our story after Sarah’s triumphant return to London, which turned her into an overnight sensation and catapulted her into stardom. In Part Two, we honor Sarah as the immensely talented actress she was, as the brilliant marketer who carefully crafted her own public image by co-collaborating with artists on her portraits, as a fiercely protective mother who navigated unimaginable loss and heartbreak with her head held high, and as a bold and confident woman who never gave up on herself, even in the most trying of times.