The Portrait - the Play Acts I and II

Act I. The Unveiling

Date: April 5, 1851

Those involved in the story:

Richard Trew - aged 57, Mayor of Axbridge, and Clerk to Guardians of the workhouse

wife, Martha   - aged 59

Martha's sister, Maria Banyer, aged 52

son, Richard Banyer  , aged 29, Clerk 

son, John  aged 27, printer

his wife, Louise , aged 20

daughter, Martha Fowler, aged 21

Fredrick Fortt, aged 31, artist

 

 

High Street, Axbridge

There are settees and chairs placed around the room with the focal point being the fireplace, above which is a picture covered by a white cloth.

Time: 3.30 p.m.  After lunch had been served.

Richard and his sons, Richard Banyer and John  come into the lounge first.

Richard B: Father, I must have a word with you sometime about things at the workhouse. Really Basset has gone well beyond his brief.

Richard: Later, son. Today is for your mother. We can talk work at any time.

John: Surely it can't be all that important, Richard.

Richard B: (very agitated) But Father, there is no way we will be able to balance the books this month.

Richard: (firmly) I said later. See, the others are coming in now.

Richard: Please sit here in the place of honour, dear (indicating the large chair usually reserved for his use). Normally, as my guest, I'd offer the chair to you, Mr. Fortt, but I think you'll forgive me on
this occasion, as my wife is the reason for the occasion. 

Fredrick: Certainly, sir. I completely understand.

Martha: I feel like the Queen.

Richard: And that is just what you are to me, my dear.

Martha: How sweet you are.

Richard: So how do you find our little town, Mr. Fortt? You've been here for several weeks now, working on the portrait. Have you formed an impression, compared to your home in Bristol?

Fredrick: Indeed, I was surprised that it's considered a town, rather than a village. It has how many inhabitants?

John:Just under 1000, I understand - slightly down from the figures of 1840.

Fredrick: So how does it justify the trappings of a town - namely having a mayor (which of course I know is you, sir) and a recorder and aldermen, or perhaps I should say alderman.

Richard: To answer your question, in medieval times we were very important. The history of Axbridge can be traced back to the reign of King Alfred when it was part of the Saxons' defence system for Wessex against the Vikings.

Fredrick: I had no idea it had such a history.

Richard: Axbridge appears in the Doomsday survey of 1086 as part of the royal manor of Cheddar. It was granted a Royal Charter in 1202, when King John sold most of it to the Bishop of Bath and Wells. Being a market town allowed Axbridge to prosper via the wool trade during the Medieval period.  It even returned members to Parliament in the reign on James I. But it was an expensive privilege, and the town petitioned to be relieved from it, which was granted - but the status of town was retained nonetheless.

John: Have you managed to visit the nearby town of Cheddar, Mr. Fortt?

Fredrick: I have indeed been there in the past, and marvelled at the cliffs and caverns. But it is too full of visitors normally for my liking.

Martha Fowler: When are we going to see you in all your glory, Mother?

Richard: We'll wait until the tea is in, and then I'll reveal it.

John: Tell us a bit more about yourself, Mr. Fortt.

Fredrick: I still work on my family's farm near Bristol, but I'm hoping that my reputation as an artist will make me sufficiently in demand so that I can concentrate exclusively on that.

Richard: Mr. Fortt is being very modest. He has had some of his work on display at the Royal Academy. In fact, it was his picture of the Virgin Madonna that made me think that he'd do justice to your mother.

Fredrick: It is actually a copy of The Virgin in Prayer by Sassoferrato. My most recent serious work
is Rebecca at The Well which is currently being considered by the Academy.

Martha Fowler: Perhaps Mr. Fortt might be doing the  portrait of you too, Father. Have they commissioned it yet?

Richard: They're still arguing about who to commission for it, but no doubt that Mr. Fortt here will be high on the list.  If your mother's portrait impresses the others on the council, they will be more likely to choose him. But other names such as Alfred Keene and Edmund Liddell have been bandied about.

Fredrick: I know them both. Keene mainly works in watercolours, but his work is very impressive. He tends to concentrate on landscapes of the Bath region.

Richard B: I think Liddell does mainly still life - but that, of course, is what a portrait is, basically - a person sitting as still as he can and looking like a bowl of flowers.

Fredrick: (with some heat) I hardly think the two compare at all.

Richard: Don't sneer, boy. I have paid good money for this portrait of your mother, and I hope you'll all value it.

Richard B: Sorry Father. I just wish we could get this all over and done with so that I can talk to you about work.

Martha: I will change the subject. I have had word from both of the other boys recently. They always try to remember my birthday. Tom's just back from sea, and hopes to be able to come to visit sometime over the next month before he gets his next posting. And William's enjoying his time in Ireland.

Louise: When will he be coming home? Has he said?

Martha: No dear, but I don't expect it will this year, as he is just getting started with his work there.

Mary Ann brings in the tea tray and places it on the table in front of Martha.

Mary Ann: Will that be all, Ma'am?

Martha: Yes, thank you Mary Ann. Keep an ear open for the children, won't you. Little Louisa won't want to nap for too long and I expect baby Charlie is nearing time for his feed. It's a pity that your Charles couldn't come to lunch today, Martha.

She pours the tea, and passes the cups around to the others. Mary Ann exits left,

Martha Fowler: Yes, Mother, but he had a rush order to fill. Being a brewer is as responsible a job as being the Mayor.

Martha: Well, I'm not quite sure I agree with that.

Richard: I would like to offer a toast to my dear wife, Martha.

All: (all have a drink of their tea) Hear, hear.

Richard: (Getting to his feet and moving to the mantle piece.) Now, while you are enjoying your tea, I'll pull this little cord, and the portrait will be revealed.

He very dramatically and slowly pulls the cord. The white curtain covering opens to reveal the portrait. The frame is four inch thick burr walnut, with gold leaf matting around the picture itself.

It shows a woman of early middle age, with her dark hair in ringlets and a white frilly cap on her head, tied in a bow under her chin. She's dressed in black topped with a white fringed silk shawl,
with pale blue and red threads woven through it. Behind her head is a draped red velvet curtain. Her blue eyes sparkle, and her lips are brightly coloured, and are almost smiling, but not quite.

Richard: Well done, Mr. Fortt. An excellent likeness.

Martha: Mr. Fortt told me to think about something funny, so that I'd look amused, without actually having a full smile.

Richard: I think it's very lovely, and very fitting, my dear. I hope you all approve.

All: Oh, yes.

Martha: Thank you, Richard, my dear, for such a wonderful gift. I shall treasure it always.

Richard: We all will.

 

Act II. After the Funeral (15 years later)

Date: November 8, 1865.

Scene: same, with a black cloth over Martha's portrait.

 

Those involved in the story

Richard Trew - aged 71,  Superintendent registrar, and Clerk to Guardians of the workhouse. Now also manager of the Stuckey's Bank of Axbridge

Sister-in-law Marie Banyer, aged 66

son,John , aged 41

hiswife, Louise, aged 35, heavily pregnant

daughter, Martha Fowler, aged 35

her husband, Charles Fowler, aged 50, brewer

granddaughter, Louisa Trew, aged 18 (John and Louise's eldest daughter)

Children
(unseen but referred to are John's other children, Anna, Richard and Jeanette, and Martha Fowler's children, Charles, Ada and George.)

The funeral meal has finished, and the friends and others guests have gone. The remaining family (son, Richard Banyer died a year ago, and Martha, a few days ago) seat themselves in the drawing room.  

Elizabeth Cook, the servant has just brought in the tea on a tray and put it in
front of Louisa Trew for her to pour and then leaves the room. 

Martha Fowler: Mother would've loved the service. The church looked so lovely, with all the flowers. Wherever did they get them this time of the year? And the choir surpassed itself.

Richard: (tearfully) It should've been me that went first. How am I going to manage without her? I'm sure I'll follow her soon.

John: You're very lucky that you have Louisa living here with you. She'll make sure you keep on living.

Louisa James: And I think, in a way, that since Richard died, she'd almost accepted her fate. Think how happy she'll be to see her son again.

Richard: She was not happy to leave me.

Louisa Trew: And the bank won't run itself, Grandfather. I think the Union will probably manage without you for awhile, and with William returning from Ireland soon, perhaps he can help out with that load. When exactly is he coming?

Richard: Probably in the summer. They want to make sure that Persis is fit for travel after the last baby. She had quite a difficult time, apparently.

Louisa Trew: And how fitting it is that they named her Martha Banyer - just like Grandma.

Martha: And me. I was named for her too, you know.

Charles: Yes, the family names keep cropping up in the next generations. It sort of makes one feel as if life continues, despite the harshness of death.

John: Are things going well at the workhouse, Father?

Richard: I hardly like to even think about it, but since you brought it up, there is a great strain on the
resources. There was a report recently that seems to show that although the general health of the inmates is good, many are feeble and not a few look as if the dietary is insufficient.

John: Is that something new? I thought, on the whole, they were pleased with their food.

Richard: There is a new cook, a girl of 21, and the young girl patients employed have only her supervision. The kitchen is far from clean or tidy.

John: Could you not hire someone more experienced to teach her?

Richard: As I said before, there's insufficient money to hire anyone else. But there was also a problem when we tried substituting the beer allowance for coffee.

Louise James Trew: I'm not surprised at that. Most of those people would not have been brought up to drink coffee. Have you solved that one?

Richard: Some suggestion was made that we use milk instead of beer, but of course, that was out of the question, due to cost, and the difficulties in keeping it fresh. In the end, we used cider, and that
seems to be accepted by most.

John: Any credence to the reports of a typhoid outbreak?

Richard: We're trying to cope with the possibility. The drains have been cleared, and we're attempting to improve the hot water and heating situation. As if I could not do without these worries at this time.

Louisa Trew: Are you intending on staying here in this big house, now that Grandmother had died? I expect I shall be leaving soon.

Richard: How could I leave this house that so reminds me of your grandmother? And it's always useful to have a big house. Tom's getting married, and when he does, his wife and family will need a base when he's off at sea. And, of course, you'll always be welcome here. You have been here so much to help lately.

Louisa Trew: Thank you Grandfather.

Martha Fowler: I've been wondering if we could take Mother's portrait. I've hardly anything of my own, as Charles was well established in his house before we married. I'd take care of it. And you might not live all that much longer yourself. I know you'd want the portrait to be valued after you're gone.

Richard: As long as I'm alive, that portrait will stay where it is. And when I'm gone, I'll put in my will as to where it should go next. And as far as you suggesting that I'm near death myself, young lady, I'll have you know that I'm in the peak of health and well able to carry on with my work, and make my own decisions. The portrait will stay where it is, in this house, is that clear?

Martha Fowler: Yes, Father. I didn't mean to upset you. Perhaps I can have some of Mother's other things. What about her poetry book?

Maria: I was rather hoping that I could have that. Some of my work is in it too, and Martha and I always worked on it together.

Richard: Certainly, Maria. I hadn't realised that you also wrote poetry. Perhaps you could read one of your poems to us now. That would be a fitting tribute to my dear wife, and help us all to a more relaxed state of mind.

(Maria goes and gets the black, heavily embossed album and turns to a page near the back.)

Maria: Perhaps I'll read one of Martha's instead as a tribute to her.
 

Happiness

 

True happiness is not the growth of earth.

The search is useless if you seek it there.

Tis an exotic of celestial birth.

And only blossoms in celestial air

 

Sweet plant of Paradise! Its seed is sown,

For here and there a plant of heavenly mould.

It rises slow and buds but ne’re was known

To blossom here – the climate is too cold.

 

May all that friendship e’er can wish be thine,

All blessings earthly and all joys divine,

And oh may Heaven this blessing grant to me,

Afriend sincere and may that friend be thee.

Richard: (struggling to keep from crying) Thank you Maria. I think perhaps I 'll go for a stroll before it gets dark. I need to be alone. Perhaps I'll just go to the cemetery to say goodnight to my
dearest beloved.