Victorian W. C. Macready as Benedick...

Updated October 20, 2026

Lot number	29
Estimate	30.00 - 75.00 USD
Category	Antiques & Furniture
Auction	Rare Hand-colored Shakespeare and Theatre Etchings 1800s
Date	October 28, 2026 at 7:00 PM EDT
Auction house	Period Americana
Location	Boston, Massachusetts

Hand-Colored Theater Etching. An original mid-nineteenth-century hand-colored theatrical etching depicting William Charles Macready as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. Macready was among the most influential nineteenth-century Shakespearean tragedians, celebrated for his interpretive attention to dramatic character. A bearded actor in a plum-colored Renaissance cloak, hat and hose poses near a stone balustrade amid shrubbery. The composition is presented on a cream paper sheet measuring 10 x 12 inches overall; image dimensions have not been provided. Handwritten caption identifies Macready as Benedick. Visible condition: Significant aging, old paper tide marks, broad yellowing and slightly ragged corners. Review all supplied photographs for paper margins, lettering and details. This is a period printed etching with hand-applied color rather than a one-of-a-kind painted portrait; individual impressions can vary in coloring.

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