“The Queen of Hearts cover’d with Diamonds”

We’ve seen a glamorous, idealized version of Queen Charlotte in the first two seasons of the Bridgerton on Netflix and also in Queen Charlotte: a Bridgerton Story, the prequel now streaming.  But is that how Charlotte’s contemporaries saw her, particularly through the work of irreverent artists like James Gillray and other satirists?

Not so much.

For example, there’s the 1786 hand-colored etching shown above. It features Queen Charlotte taking a pinch of snuff (apparently she was addicted to it) while completely bedecked in jewels.

There are diamonds in her hair, in her turban, dangling from her ears, around her neck, sewn into her gown and on her fingers.  So much bling!

It’s a satiric look at the queen’s greed and her conspicuous display of wealth, especially the jewels she and the king were gifted by foreign dignitaries.

A decade later, a correspondent of the Irish peer Lord Charlemont referred to the middle-aged queen as “the old Queen of Diamonds.” If this print is representative of how the Court of St. James saw their queen, it’s easy to see why he used that term.

Here’s another print, from 1798, again mocking the supposed avarice of the queen. She’s shown rather simply dressed for a royal, but her elaborate hairstyle, festooned with jewels, gives off definite Queen-Charlotte-as-seen-in-Bridgerton vibes.

The 1791 print below illustrates more or less on the same theme, the greedy queen and king. It was done by the most notable caricaturist of the time, James Gillray. In this picture the king and queen are receiving their son, the Duke of York, and his wealthy bride.

It’s not a flattering portrait of Charlotte, who’s depicted with coarse facial features, dressed like a countrywoman but with a crown on her head. She’s eagerly scooping gold coins from her daughter-in-law’s dowry into her apron.

 

But not all caricatures of the queen and king were savage. Here’s a more flattering picture of the couple, shown here in 1803 enjoying an after-dinner dessert and entertainment. They are watching the angry protests of a doll-sized Napoleon with amusement.

Perhaps some patriotism kicked in while the artist was drawing this political cartoon; he portrays the king and queen looking pleasant and even attractive as they toy with Britain’s great enemy.

In many of the satiric prints I saw, Charlotte is dressed as a farmer’s wife, a reference to “Farmer George” the nickname often attached to the king.

Here’s an example, a caricature of the royal couple created by Richard Newton in 1792:

 

The king and queen are shown as farmers about to milk a cow, but a pair of geese has beat them to it. The farm is a far cry from the luxury of their royal digs at St. James Palace, but at least they look happy. And not a diamond in sight!