Eliza Chester (1799-1859) was an English actress known for playing roles in the plays of Shakespeare and

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Irish satirist, a politician, a playwright, poet, and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He is known for his plays such as ''The Rivals'', ''The Sc ...

. Chester was also a sitter for some of the artists of the day. Her image in art was created by three artists, all of whom took her role as Beatrice in

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

as their inspiration; they were

Alfred Edward Chalon Alfred Edward Chalon (15 February 1780 – 3 October 1860) was a Swiss-born British portraitist. He lived in London where he was noticed by Queen Victoria. Biography Alfred Chalon was born in Geneva from a father who soon was hired as profes ...

in 1823,

Thomas Woolnoth Thomas Alfred Woolnoth (1785–1857) was an English engraver. He was known for his portraits of theatre people. He also painted, and engraved works of Correggio and Van Dyck. Woolnoth was engraver to Queen Victoria. His work was also included in Ca ...

in 1823, and John Cochran in 1825. Chester became so well known to contemporary society that in 1828 satirist Thomas Jones made an engaving of King George IV sitting beneath a pear tree with "the beautiful actress-mistress, Eliza Chester". A huge pear hangs over the heads of the couple, a possible reference to marital infidelity, and the monarch is singing lyrics from

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

's Song to Celia, "Leave but a Kiss within the Cup, and I'll look not for Wine". The title of the caricature piece is 'A Windsor ~~PAIR~~'/ PEAR, Full Ripe. In 1838, Chester bought

Wentworth Place Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...

- The property was a pair of semi-detached villas previously owned by

John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculo ...

. Chester had the two villas made into one larger dwelling, adding a drawing room and stables.

References

1799 births 1859 deaths 19th-century English actresses English Shakespearean actresses {{England-actor-stub