Mr Lewis as the Marquis in 'the Midnight Hour'

Mr Lewis as the Marquis in The Midnight Hour, painted in 1789, is a theatrical portrait depicting William Thomas Lewis in character at the height of his fame as a comic actor at Covent Garden. Theatrical portraiture was a popular category in late eighteenth-century British art, where the theatre was a central institution of public life and actors were celebrities whose public personas blended with the roles they played. The Midnight Hour was a comic opera by Susannah Centlivre, and Lewis's portrayal of the Marquis would have been immediately recognized by viewers familiar with Covent Garden's repertoire. Shee's early theatrical portrait, painted before his career had fully settled into formal portraiture, shows his participation in the broader culture of London artistic life.

The theatrical portrait captures the actor in character, combining the likeness of the individual performer with the costume and pose of his role. Shee's technique adapts to the theatrical subject, using more dramatic lighting and gesture than his typical society portraits.