From Princess to Queen: An Enduring Depiction of Anne’s Beauty

Sir Godfrey Kneller and his disciple Michael Dahl painted Queen Anne’s most famous portaits.

A detail of Queen Anne's portrait, circa 1702, by Michael Dahl. For her most significant portrait as England’s ruler, Queen Anne wanted to be depicted with the same youthful and chaste qualities as her 1690 princess portrait. National Portrait Gallery, London. Public Domain

In her first address to Parliament on March 11, 1702, Britain’s Queen Anne famously declared “I know my own heart to be entirely English.”

For decades, England’s monarchs were overwhelmingly influenced by the politics and culture of France, Italy, and the Netherlands. While there is no doubt Queen Anne’s declaration was sincere, the fact that she made the statement reflected her deliberate cultivation of an English public image exemplified in the most famous artistic depictions of her by Sir Godfrey Kneller and his disciple Michael Dahl.

Portrait of the Princess