Caroline Watson facts for kids
Caroline Watson was a talented English artist who lived a long time ago, from about 1761 to 1814. She was special because she was a stipple engraver. This means she made detailed pictures by using tiny dots on a metal plate, which were then used to print images.
Life of Caroline Watson
Caroline Watson was born in London around 1760 or 1761. Her father, James Watson, was also an engraver who worked in a style called mezzotint. Caroline learned her skills from him.
She became very good at the stipple method, especially for copying small portraits called miniatures. What made her truly stand out was that she was the only woman engraver in Britain during the 1700s to work as an independent artist. This was a big achievement at a time when not many women had their own businesses.
Her career became very popular around the same time that more women started buying prints and art. After 1810, her health began to decline, and she made fewer new works. She passed away in Pimlico on June 10, 1814.
Caroline Watson's Artworks
Caroline Watson created many engravings during her career. Here are some of her notable works:
- In 1784, she engraved a portrait of Prince William of Gloucester, who was a member of the royal family. She based this on a painting by the famous artist Joshua Reynolds.
- In 1785, she made two smaller pictures of Princesses Sophia and Mary, based on paintings by John Hoppner. She dedicated these beautiful works to Queen Charlotte. Because of her talent, the Queen then appointed her as the official engraver to the Queen!
She also engraved portraits of other important people, including:
- Sir James Harris and the Hon. Mrs. Stanhope, both from paintings by Joshua Reynolds.
- Catherine II of Russia, who was a powerful empress, based on a painting by Alexander Roslin.
- William Woollett, another well-known engraver, from a painting by Gilbert Stuart.
- A famous portrait believed to be of John Milton, a celebrated writer, originally painted by Samuel Cooper.
Other interesting works by Caroline Watson include:
- The Marriage of St. Catherine, which was an engraving based on a painting by the Italian master Correggio.
- She created many plates for William Hayley's book, Life of Romney. She took over this important job from another famous artist, William Blake.
- For John Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery, she engraved two scenes: The Death of Cardinal Beaufort, after a painting by Reynolds, and a scene from Shakespeare's play The Tempest, after a painting by Francis Wheatley.
Watson also made a series of aquatints (another type of printmaking that looks like a watercolor painting) called Progress of Female Virtue and Female Dissipation. These were based on designs by Maria Cosway. She also engraved several pictures that belonged to the Marquess of Bute, an important nobleman.
Images for kids
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John Jeffries, a portrait engraving by Caroline Watson
