(THEATER) Madeley lithographer; after C Martin George Jones

Sale 2580 - Lot 231

Price Realized: $ 344

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Estimate: $ 300 - $ 400

(THEATER.) Madeley, lithographer; after C. Martin. George Jones (the American Tragedian) in the Character of Hamlet. Lithograph, 13 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches, printed chine-collé; moderate foxing and light mat toning, 2-inch repaired tear on right margin [London]: Ackerman & Co., 1836

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George Jones (1810-1879) was born in England but came to Boston as a young boy, and gained fame as an actor there and New York. In 1836, he toured England, where this portrait was done "in the character of Hamlet as successfully performed at Drury Lane upon the occasion of his complimentary benefit from the Friends of Literature and the Drama, June 4th, 1836." It is the earliest portrait of Jones we have been able to trace. After this point, Jones became more famous for being famous than for his acting: megalomaniacal press conferences, lawsuits against fellow celebrities, a "grandiloquent" book on American Indians (see lot 4), and the assumption of the pretentious title "George, Count Joannes" all followed. One copy in OCLC, at the Folger Shakespeare Library.