GEORGE ENGLEHEART

Master Betty, also known in his time as ‘The Young Roscius’, was a boy actor who took the performance world by storm when he first debuted on the stage in 1803. Born in Shropshire, his father had first taken him to a play in Belfast, when Sarah Siddons, another famous actress of the period, was performing as Elvira. It is said that from this moment the young boy became determined to perform. His career is recorded in a memoir, Roscius in London, which was published only a few years after it had begun, in 1805. This alone reflects the Frenzy that was felt around Master Betty, and how suddenly he had become so popular across Britain.

His first performances were in Belfast, where he had been introduced to the idea of becoming an actor. Soon after he travelled to Dublin, and then on to Scotland, followed by Birmingham, and then London. His debut in the English capital was in December 1804. Playing at both the Covent Garden Theatre and Drury Lane, he attracted crowds that included such people as The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Clarence. In his performances he took many different roles, and it was his talent in playing these at such a young age that captivated so many admirers. Many of these were Shakespearian, and from a fourteen-night stay in Liverpool it is recorded that he played 9 different characters, including Hamlet and Romeo.

In 1805, two portraits of ‘The Young Roscius’ were displayed at the Royal Academy exhibition, by John Opie (1761-1807) and James Northcote (1746-1831). Both full-length portraits, in a year alone he had managed to gain enough popularity to justify having such likenesses taken of him. It is possible that the present miniature was also a part of this campaign, given that Engleheart was painting many important social figures in London at the time.

This miniature is rather different in style to many of those done by Engleheart, but the occupation of the sitter was similarly different to those usually painted by the artist. It seems that the bust composition may have been influenced by some sculptures that are known to have been made of the young actor, but this also bears similarity to an engraving of Master Betty, from 1805. The miniature is small in scale, and bears an inscription, possibly an excerpt from a play that Betty had performed in recent times, on the back of it. The size implies that it may have been used as a pendant and possibly worn to show admiration for the actor. It is particularly charming and portrays the young boy almost as an ethereal character, something that fans and admirers may have well thought of him when watching him perform.