Portraits during the Reign of George III

This rotation features portrait paintings and mezzotints created in London during the reign of George III (1760–1820). Marked by a series of military conflicts including the American Revolutionary War (1775–83), this period is also known for the king's generous patronage of the arts and his large art collections, which included many portraits. George III and his court commissioned portraits by such celebrated artists as Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, and Thomas Lawrence. Known for their ability to capture human gestures and expressions, these artists also emphasized their sitter's clothes and other symbols of status with virtuoso brush strokes, vibrant flashes of color, and strong contrasts between light and dark known as chiaroscuro.

Once a painted portrait was completed, a printmaker was frequently commissioned to replicate it for a larger audience. These portrait prints appeared framed on the walls of offices, shops, and private houses. Pasted in albums, prints also became a large part of encyclopedic collections that provided the means to learn the history and contemporary societies through pictorial symbols and character studies. It thus became essential to find the best portrait painter and reproductive printmaker possible to uphold one's status and reputation in London society and abroad.