In this interdisciplinary volume of essays, historians of art, literature, dress, and theatre examine the impact of the actress on British art and culture in the Georgian era. Actresses are shown to have played a vital role in the artist's studio, forging collaborations with leading artists and becoming almost as influential in the studio as on the stage. Acting as models, muses, and patrons, the actress inspired images in which issues of theatricality, sexuality, and social mobility were explored. As these essays demonstrate, the cultural and social position of the British actress was in transition at this period. The growing professionalism of the female performer, along with her greater social mobility, financial sufficiency, and creative autonomy, began to supplant her reputation as a sexual object.