Edmund Kean as Richard III
- Artist: John James Halls
- Artist: Charles Turner
- Date: 1814
- Medium: stipple
- Dimensions: Long Term Loan
- Portrays: Edmund Kean
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is a stipple engraving published on 29 March 1814 by Charles Turner after John James Halls. It shows the actor Edmund Kean (1787‑1833) in full costume as King Richard III. The dotting technique gives subtle shading to his face and the folds of the ruffled collar, while the crown’s filigree is hinted with fine strokes. Notice how Kean’s eyes lift toward the center—he’s already “in character.” Halls captured the stage presence that would have lit a 19th‑century theatre; Turner then rendered it as a coloured engraving for the public eye.
See it in person
Edmund Kean as Richard III is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
