James Worsdale facts for kids

James Worsdale (born around 1692 – died June 10, 1767) was an Irish and English portrait painter and actor. He was known for his lively conversations and confidence, which helped him connect with important people in society. While art experts don't always praise his painting skills, his strong personality helped him get many jobs painting portraits.

Early Life and Art Training

James Worsdale grew up in a poor family. His father worked with pigments, which are colors used in paint. James started learning to paint by becoming an apprentice to a famous portrait artist named Godfrey Kneller. However, Kneller eventually let Worsdale go. Worsdale later sometimes claimed to be related to Kneller, but these claims were not true.

Career as a Painter and Actor

By 1734, James Worsdale was meeting important writers and artists. He painted portraits of famous people like Thomas Southerne and Beau Nash. In 1735, he moved to Dublin, Ireland. There, he became a close friend to Richard Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse and Lord Blayney. These three friends started a group called the Hellfire Club, Dublin. Worsdale also helped start a similar club in Limerick.

Around this time, Worsdale also started acting and creating plays in Dublin. He performed with the Smock Alley theater company from 1737 to 1740. One play he acted in was his own, called The Assembly, where he played a character named Lady Scardale. From 1740 to 1744, he acted with the Aungier Street company. In 1741, he became a deputy Master of the Revels in Ireland, which meant he helped manage public entertainment. He played a queen in his play The Queen of Spain in 1744. He also acted as Manly in his play Cure for a Scold, which he wrote in 1735, based on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew.

Worsdale often traveled between Dublin and London. In London, he continued to paint portraits and act. He earned good money from his portrait commissions. In 1752, he played a woman again, Lady Pentweazle, in a play called Taste. Sometimes, the plays and poems Worsdale presented as his own were actually bought from other writers who needed money.

Later Life and Death

James Worsdale passed away in London on June 19, 1767, when he was 75 years old. He was buried in St. Paul's, Covent Garden. On his tombstone, there was an epitaph (a short text about a deceased person) that he wrote himself:

Eager to get, but not to keep, the pelf,

A friend to all mankind except himself.

In his will, Worsdale left money to several children and to a woman so she could be financially independent. People who knew him described him as a short man who was very good at pretending and being confident.

Legacy

Portrait of Elihu Yale, who helped found Yale University

Many of Worsdale's portraits are kept at the Irish National Gallery. An author named David Ryan visited the National Gallery of Ireland to see Worsdale's "conversation piece" portraits. These paintings show groups of people from the Dublin and Limerick Hellfire Clubs, and they were part of Ryan's research for his book about these clubs.

Images for kids

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  Portrait of Elihu Yale, who helped found Yale University