Sr. Edward Harley

Hi everyone! My name is Isabella, and I'm so excited to show you a really cool picture! It's a portrait, which means it's a picture of a person. This one is super old – it's from way back in 1749! Can anyone guess how old that is? That's right, it's very, very old! nn

This portrait is of a man named Sir Edward Harley. Look closely at his face. What do you think he's feeling? Does he look happy, sad, or maybe a little serious? He's wearing a fancy coat, isn't he? It looks very different from the clothes we wear today, doesn't it? nn

See the oval shape around Sir Edward? And then there's a bigger rectangle around that? It's like a picture frame within a picture frame! Below the picture, there's a special symbol called a coat of arms. It's like a family logo from long ago. It tells us a little bit more about who Sir Edward was and his family. It also tells us that he was a "Knight of the Bath"! That sounds important, doesn't it? nn

This picture wasn't painted directly onto the paper like you might paint a picture. It was made by a special process called engraving. Someone carefully carved the picture into a metal plate, and then they used that plate to print many copies. The artist who made the engraving was named George Vertue. He was very, very good at his job! Can you see how detailed the picture is? Look at his hair, his coat – it all looks so real! nn

This portrait is like a time machine! It shows us what people looked like and what they wore a long, long time ago. It helps us learn about history. Isn't that amazing? What do you think is the most interesting thing about this portrait? nn

So, next time you see an old picture, remember Sir Edward Harley and his amazing portrait! Remember to look closely and think about what you see. You might be surprised at what you discover! Thank you for joining me today!