William Pitt the Younger

William Pitt the Younger from 1783 depicts the youngest Prime Minister in British history, who had taken office at age twenty-four just months before Romney painted this portrait. Pitt's long ministry would dominate British political life for over two decades, including the revolutionary wars with France, and Romney's image captures him at the very beginning of this extraordinary career. Romney's oil handling was distinguished by fluid, rapidly applied strokes and an instinctive sense of elegant silhouette, producing portraits of apparent effortlessness that concealed careful preparatory drawing. The portrait at Tate is one of several Romney images of Pitt, reflecting the demand for likenesses of the young prime minister from political supporters, institutions, and admiring members of the public. Romney's ability to capture the intelligence and resolve behind Pitt's youthful features made his portraits of the statesman among the most politically resonant images of the age.

The intense gaze and composed features are rendered with Romney's characteristic economy, the simple composition focusing attention on the face of the young statesman.