Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales; Princess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

© National Portrait Gallery, London

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Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales; Princess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

by Francesco Bartolozzi, after Richard Cosway
stipple engraving, published 1799
11 1/4 in. x 8 1/8 in. (287 mm x 207 mm) paper size
Given by Henry Witte Martin, 1861
Reference Collection
NPG D10848

Sittersback to top

Artistsback to top

  • Francesco Bartolozzi (1727-1815), Engraver. Artist or producer associated with 165 portraits, Sitter in 16 portraits.
  • Richard Cosway (1742-1821), Miniature painter. Artist or producer associated with 101 portraits, Sitter in 16 portraits.

This portraitback to top

Conforming to a taste for sentimental portraits of mothers and their children, which celebrated the tenderness of the maternal bond, Richard Cosway presents an idealised view of Princess Caroline holding Charlotte as a curly-haired child. In 1802, Sir Thomas Lawrence would produce a grander version on a similar theme with a slightly older, but equally cherubic, Charlotte handing sheet music to her mother. In reality, from shortly after her birth, Charlotte was segregated from her mother, and the increasingly scandal-ridden Caroline was only allowed to visit her under heavily restricted circumstances.

Events of 1799back to top

Current affairs

The Prince of Wales is reconciled with his secret wife Maria Fitzherbert.
Corresponding Societies Act is passed prohibiting certain named political groups including the radical London Corresponding Society and the United Irishmen.

Art and science

The Swiss artist Henry Fuseli, resident in England since 1778, is appointed Professor of Painting at the Royal Academy.
The conservative educator Hannah More publishes her Strictures on Female Education which criticised demands for women's rights while proposing an active role for them within religious and moral movements.

International

Successful defence of Acre in the Levant is led by William Sidney Smith.
British expedition to Holland, led by General Ralph Abercromby, ends in evacuation after allies defeated at Battle of Bergen-op-Zoom.
Fall of the ruling Directory in France. Napoleon seizes power.
The Rosetta Stone is discovered in Egypt.

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