Thomas Gainsborough's Portraits of George III's Family

In 1782 King George and Queen Charlotte decided they couldn't get enough of their large family and commissioned their favorite artist, Thomas Gainsborough, to paint individual portraits of everyone. It is kind of like those old school portraits your mother still has on display, right down to the bland background. Awkward smiles are absent and I think the outfits are quite fashionable unlike my school portraits.

Queen Charlotte

George Prince of Wales

William IV

Princess Royal (Charlotte)

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent

Princess Augusta

Princess Elizabeth

Prince Ernest, Duke of Cumberland late King of Hanover

Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex

Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge

Princess Mary

Princess Sophia

Prince Octavius

Prince Alfred










Some of you may have noticed two family members are missing. First of all, I'm impressed if that is the case. Princess Amelia was not portrayed for she was still a twinkle in her father's eye. The second-born Prince Frederick is also missing from portrayals. This is not due to his parents' dislike of him but because the prince was vacationing on the continent. However, some art historians can't believe that Gainsborough would go without completing the family and think there is a long lost Frederick portrait.

Immortalizing Mary

A little while ago a reader (I'm sorry I forgot who!) was asking if there were any Georgian portrait-sitters who had also been photographed later in life. This portrait was suggested and I finally was able to find it so that I could post it for all to see.

This is a 1856 photograph by Antoine Claudet of Queen Victoria, Princess Alice, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester at age 80. Princess Mary was the daughter of King George III and the sister of two other kings, George IV (fondly known as the Prince of Wales on this blog) and William IV. She was said to be Queen Victoria's favourite aunt, and was the last surviving child of her parent's fifteen children. Here are some other portrayals of Mary from

1785 by John Singleton Copley (left)



















1797 by William Beechey

















and an undated print from her brother's reign as regent