Sarah Siddons (possibly as Mrs Haller) in 'The Stranger'

Lawrence's portrait of Sarah Siddons, possibly depicting her in her celebrated role of Mrs Haller from The Stranger, at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection, captures the great actress at a moment when her theatrical career was approaching its end. Kotzebue's The Stranger (originally Menschenhass und Reue, 'Misanthropy and Repentance') had been translated for the English stage and performed at Drury Lane in 1798, with Siddons playing Mrs Haller — a woman whose past moral failure requires redemption — as a role that allowed her to deploy her commanding dramatic range in a domestic rather than historical-tragic context. Lawrence's multiple portraits of Siddons — in personal and theatrical contexts — form one of the most complex portrait series in Georgian British art, complicated by his entanglements with her daughters. The University of Bristol's Theatre Collection, which documents British theatrical history, preserves this work in the institutional context most directly relevant to its theatrical dimension. Lawrence's observation of Siddons in character is distinct from his personal portraits of the actress: the theatrical role required him to depict both the specific woman he knew and the dramatic persona she was performing.

The theatrical subject allows Lawrence to employ a more dramatic palette and lighting than his standard portrait format. Siddons's famous ability to project powerful emotion through stillness is captured in the carefully painted expression, while the costume details suggest the specific role without becoming a mere theatrical illustration.