The Three Eldest Princesses: Charlotte, Princess Royal, Augusta and Elizabeth

Gainsborough wrote that he had painted ‘this Picture of the Princesses in so tender a light', a tenderness that seems to reflect George’s own fondness for his sisters. Gainsborough’s use of soft light enhances the subtle colours of the princesses’ dresses, and his positioning of the three sitters suggests their affectionate relationship with one another.

 Painted for Carlton House, 1783–4