Artwork
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection is a print by John Bowles & Son. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The work is a full‑length printed portrait of a woman identified as Miss Kitty Fischer.
About this work
Overview
The work is a full‑length printed portrait of a woman identified as Miss Kitty Fischer. Produced by the London print workshop John Bowles & Son, it dates from the turn of the nineteenth century, placing it in the late‑1700s to early‑1800s. The image is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection of period portrait prints.
Subject & Meaning
Kitty Fischer is presented in a standing pose, dressed in contemporary attire that signals her social standing. The composition emphasizes her individuality while adhering to the conventions of genteel portraiture, offering insight into the ways women of her class were visually represented at the time.
Technique & Style
Executed as a print, the image likely employed copperplate engraving or etching, typical of John Bowles & Son’s output. The line work delineates clothing folds and facial features with a clarity characteristic of late Georgian portrait prints, balancing detail with the flatness of the medium.
History & Provenance
The print was produced by the Bowles workshop, a notable publisher of portraiture in London during the period. It entered the Victoria and Albert Museum’s holdings as part of its broader acquisition of Georgian portrait prints, where it remains catalogued among similar works.
Context
Portrait prints such as this served both decorative and documentary functions, circulating images of fashionable individuals beyond the reach of painted portraits. The Bowles firm specialized in reproducing likenesses for a growing market of middle‑class consumers interested in personal and familial commemoration.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
This 18th-to-19th-century printmaking studio filled its shop with lively sheets of animals and everyday life.
