Antique of the Week: George Washington Mezzotint

As everyone in Kensington knows, Antique Row is one of the community’s points of pride. Howard Avenue and its side streets are lined with shops specializing in antique furniture, rugs, vintage toys, used books and more. This large presence in the community sparked our feature, Antique of the Week, where we will showcase a different item or curiosity each week to bring attention to pieces from the past.

This week, we’re featuring a George Washington mezzotint by Frederick George Reynolds, available at . From the mid-18th century, mezzotints were a popular form of replicating portraits and landscapes by English artists.  

Invented by Ludwig von Siegen, mezzotint was an effective method of creating a range of tonal effects. The artist would score a metal plate and scrape it smooth. Then, he would fine-tune it with his tools.

Reynolds was a London-based artist known for his landscape and watercolor paintings. His work was exhibited at the Royal Academy. He painted the laying of the foundation stone in Victoria Pier in 1841.

This George Washington mezzotint is available for $195 at Sally Shaffer Interiors, located at 3742 Howard Ave. Shaffer can be reached at 301-933-3750.