{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1138600"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1138600/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010EK1829/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010EK1829/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2010EK1829","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1138600/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1138600","accessionNumber":"S.159-1997","objectType":"Print","titles":[{"title":"Miss Stephens","type":"published title"}],"summaryDescription":"Born in London on the 18th September 1794, the soprano Catherine Stephens studied singing  for five years from the age of thirteen with the London-based Italian musician Gesualdo Lanza, during which  time she sang in Bristol, Bath, Southampton, Ramsgate and Margate, and appeared in subordinate parts with an Italian opera company based at London’s Pantheon. From 1813 she studied with the singing master  Thomas Welsh and first appeared at Covent Garden that September as Mandane in Thomas Arne’s opera  <i>Artaxerxes</i>. Success in that role was followed in October by the role of Polly in John Gay’s <i>The Beggar’s Opera</i>  and in November as Clara in Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s comic opera <i>The Duenna</i> .\r\n\r\nCatherine Stephens stayed at Covent Garden until 1822 singing a variety of roles including Susana to John Liston’s Figaro in Henry Rowley Bishop's 1819 adaptation of Mozart's <i>The Marriage of Figaro</i>, and Rowena in an adaptation of <i>Ivanhoe</i> in March 1820. Miss Stephens joined Elliston’s company at  Drury Lane in 1822, singing leading roles there for the next five years, and frequently starring in concerts and  festivals. She retired in 1835 and on 19th April 1838 married the octogenarian widower George Capel- Coningsby. He died the following April and she survived him by forty-three years, dying in their house at 9,  Belgrave Square on 22nd February 1882.\n\nThis portrait appeared as a preface to the January 1815 edition of <i>La Belle Assemblée, or Bell's Court and  Fashionable Magazine</i>, first published in 1806 by the successful London printer John Bell (1745- 1831), who owned several other magazines. La Belle Assemblée  was primarily a women's  magazine with fashion plates, celebrity profiles, sheet music, poetry, fiction, news items and some scientific articles. Its first fashion plates from February 1806 were not coloured, but from November 1806 it came out in two forms, uncoloured at 2s 6d or hand-coloured at 3s 6d, illustrating outfits worn by ladies of rank as well as the latest styles. It was printed monthly  for people to compile into volumes, and rather confusingly its illustrations were dated a month  ahead. This portrait of Miss Stephens is dated 1st February 1815.","physicalDescription":"Half-length mezzotint portrait of the singer Catherine Stephens showing her sitting in front of a pillar, looking to her left and holding a book of music. Titled below 'Miss Stephens' and credited with the names of the painter and engraver and the date of publication.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Bell, John","id":"A27650"},"association":{"text":"publishers","id":"AAT25574"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Hayter, George (Sir)","id":"A10606"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Hopwood","id":"AUTH323108"},"association":{"text":"engraved","id":"x28683"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"printing ink","id":"AAT187371"}],"techniques":[{"text":"engraving","id":"AAT53225"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Engraving","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Prints","id":"THES48903"},{"text":"Opera","id":"THES263971"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2010EK1829"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"005","id":"THES356742"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"prints","id":"AAT41273"}],[{"text":"engravings","id":"AAT41340"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"printed","id":"x46159"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"01/02/1815","earliest":"1815-02-01","latest":"1815-02-01"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"S.89-2013","id":"O1259710"},"association":"Object"},{"object":{"text":"S.1052-2009","id":"O184328"},"association":"Object"}],"creditLine":"Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"28.7","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"sheet","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"23.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"sheet","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Portrait of the singer Catherine Stephens (1794-1882), later the Countess of Essex;  mezzotint by James Hopwood after the original painting by George Hayter (1792-1871).  Published by John Bell as the preface to the January 1815 edition of John Bell's <i>La Belle Assemblée, or Bell's Court and Fashionable Magazine</i>.  Dated 1st February 1815. Harry Beard  Collection","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.159-1997"],"accessionNumberNum":"159","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":1997,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-01-27","recordCreationDate":"2009-10-20","availableToBook":true}}