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Artist
Maximilien Colin, 1862 - 1894
Sitter
Minnie Maddern Fiske, 19 Dec 1865 - 15 Feb 1932
Date
1893
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
182.5 x 122.5cm (71 7/8 x 48 1/4")
Frame: 203.2 x 139.7 x 8.9cm (80 x 55 x 3 1/2")
Topic
Interior
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
Nature & Environment\Plant\Flower
Home Furnishings\Curtain
Home Furnishings\Pillow
Minnie Maddern Fiske: Female
Minnie Maddern Fiske: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Stage actor
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Schnormeier
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.67.19
Exhibition Label
Born New Orleans, Louisiana
A leading actress at the turn of the twentieth century, Minnie Maddern Fiske (born Marie Augusta Davey) paved the way for the realistic portrayal of social problems on the American stage. An only child of actor parents, Fiske made her debut at age three as the young Duke of York in Shakespeare’s Richard III. From being a child prodigy, she rose to prominence in 1882 through her vivacious performance in Charles E. Callahan’s dramatic comedy Fogg’s Ferry.
Fiske replaced the stilted stage conventions of “grand manner” acting with the more naturalistic, psychological style suggested by her introspective air and relaxed pose in this painting. From the mid-1890s, she became a champion of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, starring in works such as A Doll’s House (1879). Fiske was also a vehement critic of the Theatrical Syndicate, which worked to exert a tight monopoly over theater productions and venues around the country.
Nacida en Nueva Orleans, Luisiana
Actriz prominente de la transición entre los siglos XIX y XX, Minnie Maddern Fiske (nacida Marie Augusta Davey) abrió camino a la representación realista de los problemas sociales en el teatro estadounidense. Única hija de una pareja de actores, Fiske debutó a la edad de tres años en el rol del duque de York en el drama Ricardo III de Shakespeare. De niña prodigio pasó a destacarse en 1882 con una vivaz interpretación en la comedia dramática Fogg’s Ferry de Charles E. Callahan.
Fiske abandonó la artificialidad del “estilo grandioso” de actuación por un estilo psicológico más natural, lo cual sugiere en esta pintura su aire de introspección y pose relajada. A mediados de la década de 1890 se dedicó a promover al dramaturgo noruego Henrik Ibsen y protagonizó obras como Casa de muñecas (1879). Fiske criticó fuertemente al Sindicato Teatral por su intento de ejercer un rígido monopolio sobre las producciones y salas teatrales del país.
Provenance
The sitter’s husband, Mr. Fiske; his friend Margaret Warren, St. Augustine, Florida; her estate, handled by her daughter Nancy Walls; (Mr. and Mrs. Walter Schnormeier, Lamberton, Minn.); gift 1967 to NPG.
