Ira Aldridge
actor
Ira Aldridge was a renowned African American actor who enjoyed his greatest successes in the theatres of Britain and Europe. Born in 1807 in New York, it is believed that he attended and acted in performances at the city’s African Theatre, located in what is now the Tribeca district.
In 1825, aged 17, Aldridge made his first recorded stage appearance as Othello, the titular hero of Shakespeare’s play, at the Royalty Theatre in Whitechapel in the East End of London. He played the role again many times in London, around England and in Europe.
The portrait by James Northcote was the first painting acquired by the Royal Manchester Institution which later became the Manchester Art Gallery, shortly after he appeared in the city as Othello in 1827. It is the earliest recorded portrait of Aldridge. who returned to Manchester to give performances in 1846, 1847, 1849, 1850 and 1859. His story has been an inspiration for many Black artists including Wyllie Longmore who performed the one-man show, Speak of Me as I Am (2011) in front of the Manchester Art Gallery portrait, SuAndi, whose poem 'Othello', is inspired by the portrait and Lolita Chakrabarti’s play Red Velvet (2012).
Although Othello is now Aldridge’s most famous role, in his lifetime he was also praised for his versatility as an actor in comedy and tragedy and for his musical ability. This portrait of him as Mungo in the The Padlock, a farce written by Isaac Bickerstaffe, and one of his favourite roles reflects this.
Resources
Listen to Sir Lenny Henry talking about Ira Aldridge
Ira Aldridge and the African Theatre in New York - this blog post traces Aldridge's involvment with The African Theatre, New York's first all-Black theatre company
Credits:
copyright and credits: text by Kate Dorney, images from Manchester Art Gallery and the V&A. Citation: Kate Dorney 2025 'Ira Aldridge ', Black Theatre History Month project