Rachel Felix (1821-58), the homely daughter of poor Jewish peddlers, was the first stage actress to achieve international stardom - and the last person one woul

'You must paint her just like that ... as the Tragic Muse' Suggests one of James's characters to Nick Dormer, the young Englishman who, during the course of the

The great nineteenth-century tragedienne known simply as Rachel was the first dramatic actress to achieve international fame. Composing her own persona with the

The Tragic Muse ran serially in The Atlantic for seventeen months, from January 1889 until May of 1890. It was one of James' long works, being well over two hun

Catalogue published in conjunction with an exhibition held at the Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, Feb. 10-June 5, 2011.