Visit of George III to Howe's flagship Queen Charlotte, by Henry Perronet Briggs

What it is

This is an 1828 painting by Henry Perronet Briggs. It shows the king's 1794 visit to Lord Howe's flagship, the Queen Charlotte. The painting shows a naval deck scene: a king in a dark naval-style coat with gold trim receives a sword-like object from a bowing admiral in a dark uniform. A woman in a yellow gown and others in period dress stand nearby, with crowds of onlookers on a raised gallery and sailors in the rigging above.

The painting was made 34 years after the visit it shows, so it is a later depiction rather than an eyewitness record.

Why it matters

Paintings like this one show how the navy and the monarchy were linked in public memory. The scene points to Lord Howe, the admiral who received the king, and to the naval crews who appear in the rigging. It presents the visit as a formal occasion, which may reflect the artist's choices as much as what happened.

Look closer

• Who is the central figure, and how does the painter show his importance compared with the others?
• Why might a painter in 1828 choose to show this visit?
• Which people in the scene are not named, and what might their presence suggest?