Richard Robinson

Smith employed mezzotint, a printmaking method that begins with a roughened plate to produce deep blacks, then smooths areas to create gradations of gray. The technique allows for velvety shadows and delicate highlights, evident in the rendering of the wig’s texture and the folds of the coat. Unlike line engraving, this approach prioritizes tone over outline, lending the image a painterly depth uncommon in contemporary prints.

John Raphael Smith, a prominent British printmaker and son of landscape painter Thomas Smith, produced this portrait during the height of his career in mezzotint. The work was likely commissioned to commemorate Robinson’s ecclesiastical role. Smith’s son, John Rubens Smith, later emigrated to the United States, continuing the family’s artistic legacy, though this print remained within British circulation.

In late 18th-century Britain, mezzotint was widely used for portraiture among the elite, offering a middle ground between expensive oil paintings and cheaper engravings. Robinson’s position as Archbishop placed him within the Anglican hierarchy, making such portraits tools of status and remembrance. The inclusion of a distant landscape behind the curtain subtly references the ecclesiastical estates associated with his office.

Smith’s mezzotints, including this portrait, contributed to the medium’s prestige in British print culture. While not widely reproduced today, the work remains a representative example of how printmakers translated formal portraiture into accessible formats. It reflects the intersection of religious authority, artistic technique, and print commerce in Georgian Britain.