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Source Description
Highly ambiguous, this drawing can be read in a number of ways, and the caption only serves to make the image more enigmatic. The central character of this vignette wears an elaborate costume and covers his mouth in a gesture of deep contemplation. We are given access to his thoughts: "I have hurt Pamela." But if the dancing girl behind him is Pamela, she looks anything but hurt! Either Pamela is not really hurt, and the man is presumptuous in his belief that she is, or this woman is the object of Pamela's disaffection. The lack of any setting further enhances the mystery. Although it is called "Actors," a title curators assigned it when they originally catalogued it into the collection in the 1930s, there is nothing to indicate that this is a scene from a play, and it could just as easily represent an event during carnival season or a masquerade ball.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
3184
label
Actors
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
citationUrl
pageCount
3
Source metadata
id
3184
sourceUrl
contentType
drawing
stage
normalized
title
Actors
description
Highly ambiguous, this drawing can be read in a number of ways, and the caption only serves to make the image more enigmatic. The central character of this vignette wears an elaborate costume and covers his mouth in a gesture of deep contemplation. We are given access to his thoughts: "I have hurt Pamela." But if the dancing girl behind him is Pamela, she looks anything but hurt! Either Pamela is not really hurt, and the man is presumptuous in his belief that she is, or this woman is the object of Pamela's disaffection. The lack of any setting further enhances the mystery. Although it is called "Actors," a title curators assigned it when they originally catalogued it into the collection in the 1930s, there is nothing to indicate that this is a scene from a play, and it could just as easily represent an event during carnival season or a masquerade ball.
provenance
Purchased by William T. Walters (through George A. Lucas as agent), Baltimore, 1865 [1]; inherited by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.[1] The Diary of George A. Lucas, p. 146.
date
1855-1857
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Painting & Drawing
watercolors (paintings)
imageCount
3
pageCount
3
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
33.3
height
21.2
dimensionsRaw
H: 13 1/8 x W: 8 3/8 in. (33.3 x 21.2 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
[Signed] Lower right
in iron gall ink: Gavarni; [Inscription] Bottom
in iron gall in: J'ai fait de la peine à Pamèla; [Translation] I have hurt Pamela
med
transparent watercolor with graphite underdrawing, brown iron gall ink and red ink on cream, moderately thick, smooth wove paper
creator_ids
7208
collection_ids
EAN
exhibition_ids
581
2069
404
432
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
067c33cceb5432cf
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
d6281736d60fdf73
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
0acec2f4bf379412
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no