Her Most Excellent Majesty Charlotte, Queen of Great Britain
Medium
Mezzotint; first state, before letters
Dimensions
Plate: 16 15/16 × 24 7/16 in. (43 × 62 cm) Sheet: 26 11/16 × 19 5/16 in. (67.8 × 49 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, by exchange, 1969
Accession Number
69.669.1
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Her Most Excellent Majesty Charlotte, of Great Britain*, a stunning 1762 mezzotint by Irish artist Thomas Frye. just a year after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz married King George III, this print captures the young queen at the dawn of her influential role in British monarchy. As consort during a pivotal era of Enlightenment and empire-building, Charlotte's image symbolized stability and grace amid political turbulence. Frye's mastery shines in the mezzotint technique—a revolutionary 17th-century method "rocked" into a textured plate for velvety blacks and luminous highlights, ideal for regal portraits. This first-state impression, before any lettering, preserves the plate's pristine tonal richness, making it a collector's gem. Measuring nearly 17 by 24 inches on the plate, its grand scale suited dissemination to admirers across the realm. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this work highlights printmaking's power to democratize royal iconography, blending artistry with cultural reverence for queenship. A window into 18th-century portraiture's splendor!
About the Artist
Thomas Frye|Charlotte, Queen of England · 1710–1762
Irish, Edenderry 1710/11–1762 London