George Frederick Cooke in the Character of Iago (Shakespeare's "Othello")

George Frederick Cooke in the Character of Iago (Shakespeare's "Othello")

James Ward

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A British actor famous for portraying Shakespearen villains, Cooke appears here as Iago in Shakespeare's "Othello." After establishing himself in the English provinces from 1778, the actor became a star in Dublin, then moved to London in 1801 where he performed Richard III, Shylock, Iago and Macbeth in competition with John Philip Kemble.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

George Frederick Cooke in the Character of Iago (Shakespeare's "Othello")George Frederick Cooke in the Character of Iago (Shakespeare's "Othello")George Frederick Cooke in the Character of Iago (Shakespeare's "Othello")George Frederick Cooke in the Character of Iago (Shakespeare's "Othello")George Frederick Cooke in the Character of Iago (Shakespeare's "Othello")

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.