Portraits of their Majesty's and the Royal Family viewing the exhibition of the Royal Academy 1789

Founded in 1768 by King George III, The Royal Academy of Arts was established at Somerset House on the Strand. The Academy's first president was the painter Joshua Reynolds, seen here on the far right holding an ear trumpet to improve his hearing. He was appointed shortly before the Academy officially opened on 2 January 1769 and knighted that same year.

The Royal Academy set out to raise the status and accessibility of British art. One of its founding principles was to 'mount an annual exhibition open to all artists of distinguished merit' and support the training of young artists in the Royal Academy schools. The annual exhibition, showcasing contemporary British art, was first held in 1769 and continues today.

In this print, King George III is attending an exclusive private view of the Royal Academy exhibition, along with his family. They stand in the 'Great Room', the primary exhibition gallery, and gaze at recognisable works densely hung on the walls. Some are raised well above eye level while others hang below. The ideal place for an artist's work to be hung was along the 'line' running around the centre of the room.

Although the Royal Academy exhibition was 'open to all', the committee panel was extremely selective in both their choice of exhibitors and the positioning of their works. During the late 1700s, Reynolds wrote extensively on art theory and practice and promoted history painting - described by him as 'grand manner' painting - above all other genres.

This is one of several works in the Museum which depict the subject of the Royal Academy exhibition. The 19th century artist George Scharf painted a view of the Great Room during the exhibition of 1828 and there is also a print of the 1850 exhibition in the Museum's collection.