Sister Artists and the Reconfiguration of British Thalia

In the later eighteenth century, a group of sister artists realigned women's roles in British art by reconfiguring Thalia, the Muse of Comedy, in artwork, on stage, and through the periodicals. This essay focuses on Angelica Kauffman, the portrait painter; Hannah Cowley, the comic playwright; Anne Damer, the sculptor; and various actresses promoted by these three artists. Their collective goal was to supplant the tradition of the female muse inspiring the male artist. Their creative powers evoked the Italian-influenced neoclassical Sapphic schools, yet the Thalia they consciously cultivated contributed to the British imperial mission.