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5 Fast Facts: Drama Queens and #5WomenArtists

Blog Category:  5 Fast Facts
Realistic painting of a light-skinned woman with elaborately-coiffed medium-brown hair, gazing at the viewer, wearing a classic white silk dress and red draped cape with gold embellishments, gesturing dramatically with one hand over her heart and the other extended outward.

Impress your friends with five fast facts about actors and the visual artists who portrayed them!  

1. Antoinette Saint-Huberty by Anne Vallayer-Coster

Anne Vallayer-Coster (1744–1818) immortalized Antoinette Saint-Huberty (1756–1812), a prima donna of the Paris Opera, in 1785 when the actor claimed big roles and even bigger paychecks. Here the artist portrays Saint-Huberty as Dido, ancient Carthage’s founder and queen; it was considered her greatest role. Vallayer-Coster’s Neoclassical style suited the actor, who pushed for theatrical costumes to be period appropriate.  

Realistic painting of a light-skinned woman with elaborately-coiffed medium-brown hair, gazing at the viewer, wearing a classic white silk dress and red draped cape with gold embellishments, gesturing dramatically with one hand over her heart and the other extended outward.
Anne Vallayer-Coster, Madame de Saint-Huberty in the Role of Dido, 1785; Oil on canvas, 57 3/8 x 40 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay

2. Ethel Barrymore by Eulabee Dix

A member of the talented Barrymore family acting dynasty (and Drew’s grand-aunt), Ethel Barrymore (1879–1959) graced radio, stage, and screen. Painter Eulabee Dix (1878–1961) portrayed this big star in a miniature way around 1905, the year Barrymore played Nora, the unhappy housewife who charts her own course in Henrik Isben’s proto-feminist play A Doll’s House.

A miniature portrait in a round, white frame of a light-skinned adult woman in profile with brown hair pulled back in a loose bun. She wears a large, periwinkle hat that matches the sleeves of her purple and blue dress. The background of the portrait is pale purple.
Eulabee Dix, Ethel Barrymore, ca. 1905; Watercolor on ivory in ivory box, 3 x 3 x 1 1/4 in.; NMWA, Gift of Mrs. Philip Dix Becker and family

3. Eva Le Gallienne by Berenice Abbott

Both Eva Le Gallienne (1899–1991) and Berenice Abbott (1898–1991) were multifaceted creators and artists’ advocates. Le Gallienne’s roles included actor, author, director, and producer. In 1926, she founded a noncommercial theater to foster “true talent.” Abbott, an accomplished portrait, cityscape, and science photographer, is also remembered for preserving and championing work by Eugène Atget.

Black and white photo of Eva Le Gallienne seated on a dark chair, her head shifts left. Dark tones dominate the photograph, drawing focus to her illuminated face and hands, which are balanced by a glimpse of the room behind her. Her arms draped in ornately decorated sleeves, reach right.
Berenice Abbott, Eva Le Gallienne, ca. 1927; Vintage silver print, 4 1/2 x 6 5/8 in.; NMWA, Gift of Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay; © Berenice Abbott

4. Tallulah Bankhead by Louise Dahl-Wolfe

The dramatic image of award-winning actor Tallulah Bankhead (1902–1968) by Louise Dahl-Wolfe (1895–1989) says as much about the maker as the subject. Dahl-Wolfe, a groundbreaking fashion/portrait photographer known for compelling compositions and innovative illumination, captures an intensely contemplative Bankhead. Outspoken and unconventional, Bankhead supported civil rights, aided war refugees, and identified as “ambisextrous.”

A black-and-white photograph of a woman staring coldly off frame, to the left. She has thin eyebrows and wears dark lipstick; her light hair is worn at shoulder-length, with subtle waves. She wears a dark cardigan over a dark, low-cut top. The photograph’s lighting is dramatic, with shadow in the bottom half, and light from the woman’s eyes upward.
Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Tallulah Bankhead, 1942; Gelatin silver print, 14 x 11 in.; NMWA, Gift of Helen Cumming Ziegler; © 1989 Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents

5. Ava Gardner by Ruth Orkin

Ruth Orkin (1921–1985), daughter of a silent movie star, was always drawn to filmmaking. Refused admission to the cinematographer’s union because of her gender, she picked up a still camera instead. Orkin developed a reputation for capturing candid moments of celebrities such as Ava Gardner (1922–1990), who in 1952 was a successful leading lady and married to singer Frank Sinatra.

Ava Gardner, a woman with light skin tone and wavy, short brown hair, is shown from the shoulders up. She wears a jeweled necklace and is surrounded by lights and people at a party. She looks to the side of the camera at something out of frame with a fixed gaze and slight smile.
Ruth Orkin, Ava Gardner, 1952; Vintage gelatin silver print, 7 x 7 1/4 in.; NMWA, Gift from the collection of Charles S. and Elynne B. Zucker

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