His Royal Highness George, Prince of Wales

These prints of George as the handsome young heir to the throne are in the fashionable technique of mezzotint, which allowed the printmaker to reproduce the rich tones of an oil painting. Smith reissued the print a number of times between 1783 and 1813, updating the portrait each time. These two impressions show George’s changing appearance between 1783 and 1789. The earlier print has pencil marking on the figure and may have been a proof used by the artist to indicate changes to the plate. If so, Smith struggled to reflect George’s appearance in an accurate yet flattering manner.

Both prints in the Royal Collection by 1900