Tableaux Vivants or “Living Pictures” to Revive a Favorite Victorian Entertainment at Chesterwood

STOCKBRIDGE, MA (July 22, 2024) – Chesterwood, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, continues its popular performing arts series, Arts Alive!, with a special theater performance that revives a favorite Victorian-era form of entertainment, tableaux vivants, or “living pictures”, on Saturday, August 3 at 5:30pm, set in the historic garden and artist’s studio. Meet the actors at a complimentary reception afterwards. Tickets are $25, Chesterwood members $20, and free for under 18.  Reservations can be made at www.chesterwood.org/arts-alive-2024

Created and directed by actor Doria Bramante, the ensemble cast invites you to join “Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Chester French” in their garden and studio to play one of their favorite parlor games – the creation of “live pictures” using costumes, props and a large frame.  Tableaux vivants are a form of “pantomime” whose origins go back to the very beginnings of drama. Tableaux are representations of well-known works of art and seems to have been invented by Lady Emma Hamilton late in the 18^th century.  Daniel Chester French’s daughter Margaret reminisced, “My father made a large frame (still stored away on the ceiling of the studio cellar) and stretched a layer of mosquito netting across the front to give a softer appearance to the picture.  Then he would drape various members of the family and friends with yards of lovey materials, pose them behind the frame, which was clearly lighted by kerosene lamps and supporting reflectors, and lo! a charming living-picture would result.”

Chesterwood is the Gilded Age home, studio, and gardens of American sculptor Daniel Chester French. The 122-acre landscape contains mountain views, formal gardens, and woodland trails as well as a vast collection of original sculpture, paintings, and furniture.  French’s life and artistic achievements are explored through guided tours and educational programs, while contemporary artists are supported and advanced through residencies and sculpture exhibitions.  The site also hosts special performances in dance, music, theater, and poetry, as well as deep dive tours, children’s activities, and art classes.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation® is a privately funded nonprofit organization that works to save America’s historic places to enrich our future, reimagining historic sites for the 21st century. The guiding principle of this initiative is that historic sites must be dynamic, relevant, and evolving to foster an understanding of history and culture that is critical, sensory, and layered.