A mezzotint of Louis Philippe, Duc d'Orleans (Philippe Egalité). He is shown full length, in hussar uniform; his right hand holding his busby, with a Black attendant holding his horse to the right. First state.

The mezzotint is based on a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds which was commissioned by George, Prince of Wales in 1785 (RCIN 404555). This impression was purchased by George in 1813, the first of his acquisitions in a focused campaign to form a complete set of prints after the works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, who had been the subject of a retrospective exhibition that year.

The Black servant is unlikely to represent an identifiable individual. Instead, the inclusion of Black figures as servants, attendants, or enslaved people in portraits of European sitters was a common visual trope. The submissive presence of such figures (often shown in acts of service such as holding clothes, umbrellas or trays) was deployed as a visual status symbol. The Black figures often emphasise the status of the main sitter by being positioned behind or looking up to them, establishing a physical as well as a racial hierarchy. Their presence also asserts the global power of the sitter through reference to the transatlantic slave trade. These figures are often dressed in clothing considered ‘exotic’ by contemporary Europeans such as turbans, silks, and caftans, further representing the luxurious fantasy and wealth that was felt to be embodied by the Black presence.