Miss Fenton (English Actress Lavinia Fenton as Polly Peachum in John Gay's "Beggar's Opera")

Description

This oval portrait engraving depicts Lavinia Fenton (1708–1760), referred to as "Miss Fenton" in the title, in her famous role as Polly Peachum in John Gay's The Beggar's Opera (1728). The Beggar's Opera, a forerunner of the ballad opera genre based on folk tunes orchestrated by Johann Christopher Pepusch, satirized Italian opera and the politics of the period through thieves, prostitutes, and corrupt officials. The premiere at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre broke a record with 62 consecutive performances, catapulting Lavinia Fenton to instant fame. The "star cult" that developed around Fenton's Polly also boosted the London theatrical engraving market, and numerous portrait prints were sold. Fenton married Charles Powlett, 3rd Duke of Bolton, in 1751, becoming the Duchess of Bolton. The composition's lace headdress, pearl necklace, and buckled bodice emphasize the character's stage persona (the virtuous but witty Polly). The oval medallion form and elegant hatching-stipple technique present the actress as both a moral icon and a collectible theatrical portrait, a primary typology of engravings for theatergoers in 18th-19th-century London.