Mrs. Susanna Cent-Livre
The sitter in this portrait was both actress and dramatist. Born in Ireland, she was said to have left home at fifteen and lived in Cambridge with an undergraduate Anthony Hammond, donning boy's attire so she could attend lectures. In London she began to act and write plays, notably "The Perjured Husband," "Love's Contrivance" (1703), and "The Wonder" (1714). An early marriage to a Mr. Fox was brief and a second union with an officer Carroll ended when he was killed in a duel. In 1724 or 1725, she married Joseph Centlivre.
Artwork Details
- Title: Mrs. Susanna Cent-Livre
- Artist: Engraved and published London by Peter Pelham (American (born England), London 1697–1751 Boston, Massachusetts)
- Artist: After D. Fermin (British, active ca. 1700–1720)
- Sitter: Mrs. Susanna Centlivre (British (born Ireland), ca. 1667–1723)
- Date: 1720
- Medium: Mezzotint; second state of three
- Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed): 13 1/4 x 9 3/8 in. (33.6 x 23.8 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
- Object Number: 17.3.756–1215
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.