A stunning original ca. 1899 Lafayette of London cabinet photograph of the most famous actress of the 19th century, known as “The Divine Sarah.” Corners lightly dinged, verso partially skinned from prior mounting with staining; light rippling to the photograph, else fine. 4 x 6.5 inches (10.5 x 16.5 cm).
Sarah Bernhardt was an actress in a category of her own. Mark Twain (quoted in the program for Bernhardt’s 1912-1913 American tour) famously said “There are five kinds of actresses: bad actresses, fair actresses, good actresses, great actresses, and Sarah Bernhardt.”
Bernhardt cast herself in roles for which she was technically (many years) too old—she played 19-year-old Joan of Arc at age 46 (to quote Twain again: “Mme. Bernhardt is so marvelously young. She and I are two of the youngest people alive”). She was also known for playing male characters, including Hamlet.
Which brings us to the day in 1899, when Bernhardt’s Hamlet premièred at the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt. Lucky for us, there’s even a recording of Bernhardt’s performance from 1900, making her the first female Hamlet ever captured on film.
A stunning original ca. 1899 Lafayette of London cabinet photograph of the most famous actress of the 19th century, known as “The Divine Sarah.” Corners lightly dinged, verso partially skinned from prior mounting with staining; light rippling to the photograph, else fine. 4 x 6.5 inches (10.5 x 16.5 cm).
Sarah Bernhardt was an actress in a category of her own. Mark Twain (quoted in the program for Bernhardt’s 1912-1913 American tour) famously said “There are five kinds of actresses: bad actresses, fair actresses, good actresses, great actresses, and Sarah Bernhardt.”
Bernhardt cast herself in roles for which she was technically (many years) too old—she played 19-year-old Joan of Arc at age 46 (to quote Twain again: “Mme. Bernhardt is so marvelously young. She and I are two of the youngest people alive”). She was also known for playing male characters, including Hamlet.
Which brings us to the day in 1899, when Bernhardt’s Hamlet premièred at the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt. Lucky for us, there’s even a recording of Bernhardt’s performance from 1900, making her the first female Hamlet ever captured on film.