A Fashionable Lady, with a Pearl Necklace and Pearl Diadem Supporting a Scroll and Spray of Flowers, from Life-sized Heads, second series

In the last 2 years of his life, the Dublin born artist Thomas Frye published two remarkable series of mezzotints, entitled 'Fancy Heads'. Although thought to have been drawn from life Frye did not intend these to be viewed as portraits and with the exception of the image of himself, did not provide us with titles of any of the sitters. Frye, ever the entrepreneur publicized his scheme widely in the London press and advertised these prints as limited editions for 'Room Decoration', aiming them at the top end of the 18th century interior decoration market, being both of the very highest quality and expensive for the day