Fanny Kemble as Julia in the Hunchback 1833

Thomas Sully painted Fanny Kemble as Julia in the Hunchback. In this portrait, Kemble’s gaze drifts off to the side with a cool detachment. Her skin is porcelain, framed by dark hair and set against a backdrop of atmospheric swirls of brown, green, and a hint of blue. Sully’s brushwork is evident in the feathery strokes, especially around the figure's edges, giving her an ethereal quality. The classical structure of the composition, and Kemble’s elegant profile, hark back to ancient ideals, yet Sully’s rendering captures a modern sensibility through the use of light and shadow that models Kemble's face and delicate neck. The structural clarity of the portrait, with its emphasis on line and form, places it firmly within a tradition of academic painting. However, the loose, almost Romantic treatment of the background hints at a shift towards greater expressive freedom. It’s a fascinating interplay between classical form and emergent Romantic feeling.