Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
March 13, 2013
February 12, 2013
KING GEORGE III’s GREEN CLOSET AT THE OLD BUCKINGHAM HOUSE ABOUT 1775 ~~ Gainsborough’s Royal Children are on the walls~~
My friend Joe di Leo surfaced this amazing watercolor of the Green Room of old Buckingham House from George III and Queen Caroline’s era. What intrigues me are the Gainsborough portraits of the king’s children which are now hung as a group in the Long Hallway. I was intrigued to see this, and THANKS go to Joe for finding it.
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
February 11, 2013
THE QUEEN’S GALLERY AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE: THE GEORGE III EXHIBITION
I have been attending the exhibitions in the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace where the Royal Collection is on display, one exhibition after another for many years. Of all the exhibitions, I enjoyed the George III exhibition most of all. Prince Charles has been a great fan of King George, and I am certain the exhibition was supported by the Prince. Sir Hugh Robert’s definitive publication about the collection of George III was a massive effort, and I often enjoy my volume as it sits on the central table in the sitting room of my office. The Prince of Wales admired the tremendous contributions of the old King, especially in farming, science, plants and trees, the library collection, the Royal Collection and art, the Royal Academy, porcelain, architecture, and family life. The Prince of Wales celebrated the Queen’s birthday at Kew Palace, King George III’s small Dutch House near his family home, the White House–now in Kew Gardens. The exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery was extensive, and the quality from the Royal Collection was unmatched. This is an image of one of the rooms, taken during the exhibition. Several of my favorite pieces of furniture and paintings are in this exhibition. Oh memories! Thank goodness for photographs.
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
December 12, 2012
THE PRINCE OF WALES PROCLAIMS HIS ADMIRATION FOR KING GEORGE III AND HIS MOTHER, THE QUEEN!
I am a great supporter of King George, the last King of America. His great contributions and talents have been overlooked because of his debilitating illness. I understand Prince Charles’s affection: farming, science, TREES and plants, China and porcelain, technology, the Royal Academy, artists, the Royal Collection, China trade, SHEEP, Buckingham Palace, religious faith, diet, the colonies, family life, restraint, Windsor Castle, Kew Palace on and on.
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
October 23, 2012
KENSINGTON PALACE: THE CORONATION ROBES OF KING GEORGE III 1761
The displays of historic clothing at Kensington Palace are very interesting. I am not very attracted to the new effort to modernize the rooms in Kensington Palace, but the exhibitions are fantastic. The QUEEN VICTORIA DIAMOND JUBILEE EXHIBITION is one of the finest exhibitions I have been to in London this year. Also, the room where historic clothing from the Georgian Period is housed is certainly worth a visit. The item which interested me most was the coronation robes of King George III–goodness over 300 years ago. It is a bit moth-eaten, but the effect is wonderful. It took 6 pages to carry the “train” at his coronation; the weight is from the heavy ermine linings. Also interesting is to compared the “real thing” with Ramsay’s famous portrait of the King in his coronation robes. In the portrait, Ramsay chose to portray the train in blue and the King is holding back his ermine robes to highlight the gold threats of his clothing. The portrait was copied in Ramsay’s studio to send identical copies to every country in the kingdom. I saw the original first portrait in the Palace during the summer exhibition and one of the copies at Badminton House at Christmas time. I think this is a very interesting story.
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
October 3, 2012
HELEN MIRREN: “THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE III”
Ten years ago, I watched THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE III. I knew the history of this King, and I admired many of his contributions in many fields such as science, art, agriculture, education, porcelain, etc.. He loved his herds of sheep as I do! The last years of the King’s life were a great tragedy; Helen Mirren plays the part of Queen Charlotte who by the end of her life had become weakened by numerous births, the King’s several mental illnesses, and by the difficulty of the Prince of Wales’s manipulations to establish a regency. Parts of the movie are hard to watch as the King was subject to severe treatments which seem barbaric in our age, but I enjoyed the movie very much. And, I really admired the work of Helen Mirren in this production. She is soon to produce a second movie about the current Queen; I believe it is a fictional movie about Queen Elizbeth II’s relationship with her various prime ministers. I hope she has punched a few of them in her history–particularly Blair and Brown! Anyway, on we go…. That should be very interesting. These are a few images from THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE III:
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
September 24, 2012
KING GEORGE III AND QUEEN CHARLOTTE: HAPPINESS IN MARRIAGE AND LIFE TOGETHER
It is true that King George III takes the blame for losing the American Colonies. It is true that the King suffered a long and painful illness at the end of his life. It is true that the King snubbed Benjamin Franklin at a reception at St. James’s Palace. But it is also true that the King is one of the most under-rated sovereigns to reign in Britain. He sponsored the Royal Academy, carried out scientific studies, gathered the largest library in British history which is now housed at the British Library, was a botanist who “collected” trees and rare plants, contributed significantly to the Royal Collection, was a successful farmer (with a love of sheep), fathered 15 children with his consort, lived modestly at Kew Palace/ Buckingham House/ Windsor Castle, did not like heated rooms, felt carpeted rooms were unhealthy, furthered the porcelain/china industry in Britain (Worcester, Derby, Chelsea, etc.), etc. HE DID NOT WRITE “NOTHING HAPPENED TODAY” ON THE 4TH OF JULY 1776;– the King did not keep a diary. He was a modest family man with deep Christian spiritual values. In spite of all that is written about King George III and Queen Charlotte, I have great respect for this royal couple. I just returned from Kew Palace –the modest Palace with its wax image of the King touched me deeply. This is an excellent article from THE ROYAL FORUM:
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
September 21, 2012
THE CORONATION OF KING GEORGE III AND QUEEN CHARLOTTE
Fascinating!
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
September 19, 2012
KEW PALACE: THE FAVORITE “HOME” OF KING GEORGE III AND HIS FAMILY
THE WHITE HOUSE and KEW PALACE on the Thames at Kew were the homes most associated with Frederick Prince of Wales / Augusta Princess of Wales and King George III and Queen Charlotte, the last king and queen of America. Queen Charlotte and her daughters spent years at the Palace caring for the King when he became ill for long periods of time. I enjoy going to Kew Palace; it is closed in the winter because there is no heat in the house, but during the summer months, it is paradise. Queen Charlotte died in the small palace in 1818, and Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 80th birthday here with her family. Prince Charles has returned paintings from the Royal Collection which once hung in Kew Palace or at the White House but were part of the Joseph Smith purchase for the King in Venice. Queen Victoria gave the palace to the nation and placed a memorial plaque in the bedroom where her grandmother Queen Charlotte died. The chair Queen Charlotte died in, her bed, her medical chest, and original paintings are still in place. In some ways, Kew Palace is a shrine much loved by the Royal Family. If you are in London during the spring, summer, or fall, you will enjoy a visit to Kew Palace while you are visiting Kew Gardens.
Madame Tussaud’s wax image of King George III dating from the first quarter of the 1800′s. Wonderful image. You feel the King is still in the house.
Frederick Prince of Wales and sisters with Kew Palace behind
A tiny miniature from Kew of Queen Charlotte showing a Beechey miniature of the King
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
August 18, 2012
KING GEORGE III — LAST KING OF AMERICA in rare pottery, prints, famous paintings, quilts, bronze, and miniatures
Several years ago, Buckingham Palace presented a fantastic exhibition which dealt with all aspects of the life and contributions of King George III. It was really amazing–like all the exhibitions presented by the Palace. I was leaving for London later in the winter, but I decided that I wanted to see this exhibition so I changed my plans; and I certainly am pleased that I made that switch. I knew a bit about George III, but my knowledge was very shallow. I knew he was the “Mad King,” “the last King of America,” father of 15 children by a German princess, and Ghost of Windsor Castle. That’s about it.
George III was born 4 June 1738 in Britain and died at Windsor Castle on 29 January 1820. He was the third monarch of the House of Hanover and the first Hanoverian king who spoke English as his native tongue, his first language rather German which was the language of progenitors. Imagine, King George I of Great Britain never spoke a word of English, and the royal court spoke only German. During King George II’s long reign, music flourished as did theater, art, porcelain, clocks, trees, farming, the Royal Navy, the Royal Collection, gardening, literature, the King’s library, science, selective animal breeding, the art of jewelry, domestic inventions, Royal Patronages and Royal Warrants.
During this year, my friend Alison Mitchell and I are going to explore these various subjects, and we will share our discoveries with you. We are very excited. Let me start out by posting a few images which might interest you.
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
