“Mrs Siddons” by Léon-Joseph Chavalliaud

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Sarah Siddons (1755-1831)

Léon-Joseph Chavalliaud (c.1858-1921)

Unveiled 1897

Marble

Paddington Green, London W2

Other views

Whole monument from the front

Mrs Siddons from the other side

Chavalliaud's best-known work, this statue of Sarah Siddons shows her as the tragic muse (hence the mask), after the famous painting of her” by Sir Joshua Reynolds. A placard on the Green tells us that it was unveiled, suitably enough,” by Sir Henry Irving. [continued below]

Photograph and text Jacqueline Banerjee, 2011.

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL or cite it in a print one.]

Mrs Siddons is buried in the churchyard of St Mary's Church adjacent to the Green. According to Claire Bullus, this was the "first statue of a non-royal woman to be erected in London" (239). However, it was not the first in the country. That accolade belongs to the statue of the tireless nursing nun, "Sister Dora,” by Francis J. Williamson (1886), which is prominently sited in Walsall, in the west Midlands (Spielmann 19).

Bibliography

Bullus, Claire & Ronald Asprey. The Statues of London. London and New York: Merrell, 2009.

Spielmann, M. H. British Sculpture and Sculptors of Today. London: Cassell, 1901. Internet Archive. Web. June 9, 2011.

Last modified 9 June 2011