The Irish-born Thomas Frye was one of the most innovative artists in mid-eighteenth century Britain, whose impact on his generation has only recently been properly understood. He seems to have moved to London at an early age and embarked on a career as a painter, pastelist, and printmaker, as well as a porcelain manufacturer, being one of the founders of the Bow porcelain works. Among his last projects was a remarkable series of twelve expressive heads, which he reproduced in mezzotint and which enjoyed popularity on both sides of the Atlantic. These heads had a considerable influence on his contemporaries, including Joseph Wright of Derby. This example in black chalk represents and old man burdened by time and was reproduced by Wright for a figure in his two paintings of a Blacksmith’s Shop (both 1771), one of which is shown on the Center’s fourth floor. Gallery label for A Decade of Gifts and Acquisitions (Yale Center for British Art, 2017-06-01 - 2017-08-13)