Dangerous to Show Byron and His Portraits

"Don't look at him. He is dangerous to look at," said Lady Liddell to her daughter in 1817. Handsome, charismatic, aristocratic, and allegedly "mad, bad and dangerous to know," Lord Byron (1788-1824) is one of the most captivating and recognizable figures of the Romantic Age. His face, figure, and appearance added to the appeal of his poetry, and the close association of the man with his poetic creations encouraged a wide range of artists to create portraits during his lifetime and to memorialize him after his heroic death in Greece. The first work on the subjects of the portraits of the poet, and written by two authorities on the subject, Dangerous to Show explores Byron's life through the intriguing stories behind one hundred of these images. Reproduced in color for the first time, we can explore the key paintings, miniatures, sculptures, drawings, and sketches, along with a selection of prints, cartoons, engravings, and other representations of the artist. The book uses Byron's own wit with words to recount his attempts to manage his own image through the way he was presented in his portraits, as well as through fashion, weight control, and the disguise of his lameness.