The Royal Academy Exhibition of 1802 was the thirty fourth annual Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. It was held at Somerset House in London between 3 May and 12 June 1802 and featured submissions from over five hundred artists and architects. As was common during the period, there was a strong preponderance of portrait paintings over other genres. Critics drew particular attention to the works of three artists Thomas Lawrence, Martin Archer Shee and William Beechey. Beechey attracted interest for his Royal portraits of Cumberland and Princess Augusta, as well as one of the inventor James Watt.
Aside from his portraits of aristocratic figures Lawrence also painted a notable royal picture. Caroline, Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte a dual portrait featuring the king's daughter-in-law Caroline of Brunswick and granddaughter Charlotte. Caroline was estranged from her husband the Prince of Wales and living in Blackheath where the painter visited her for sittings. The work was well received at the exhibition, but the circumstances around the paintings production later led to Lawrence being dragged into the Delicate Investigation and accused of adultery with Caroline. Archer Shee displayed portraits of the politician Earl Spencer and his wife.
The Pennsylvania-born President of the Royal Academy Benjamin West submitted a genre scene Paddington Canal alongside several historical paintings. His fellow American Washington Allston submitted three works. Philip James de Loutherbourg featured a romantic battle painting The Capture of the Chevrette depicting a naval action from the French Revolutionary Wars. Mary Moser, one of the two female founding members of the Academy, submitted her final work the history painting Queen EleanorâÂÂs Confession to King Henry the Second.
The young J.M.W. Turner, recently elected as a full member of the academy, sent in a batch of works there that included several seascapes. Turner also exhibited watercolours from his journeys around Britain. Turner's future rival John Constable made his debut with a landscape The Edge of a Wood. Although it has not been identified amongst his works, it likely featured his native Suffolk.
<Gallery Mode="packed" Heights="200"> File:Lady Mary Templetown and Her Eldest Son.jpg|Lady Mary Templetown and Her Eldest Son by Thomas Lawrence File:Thomas Lawrence - Portrait of Elizabeth Marchioness Conyngham.jpg|Portrait of Lady Conyngham by Thomas Lawrence File:Portrait of George Griffin Stonesteet.jpg|Portrait of George Griffin Stonestreet by Thomas Lawrence File:Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) - Sir William Grant (1752âÂÂ1832), Master of the Rolls - 590 - Guildhall Art Gallery.jpg|Portrait of William Grant by Thomas Lawrence File:Elizabeth Burrell, Marchioness of Exeter.png|Portrait of the Marchioness of Exeter by Thomas Lawrence File:Sir William Beechey (1753-1839) - Ernest, Duke of Cumberland (1771-1851) - RCIN 404564 - Royal Collection.jpg|Portrait of Duke of Cumberland by William Beechey File:Princess Augusta, c.1802.jpg|Portrait of Princess Augusta by William Beechey File:James Watt (1736âÂÂ1819).jpg|Portrait of James Watt by William Beechey File:William Hamilton (1730-1803) by William Beechey.jpg|Portrait of William Hamilton by William Beechey File:Portrait of Charles Lord Bruce, later 1st Marquess of Ailesbury, wearing a uniform of the Wiltshire Yeomanry (by Samuel Woodforde).jpg|Portrait of Lord Bruce by Samuel Woodforde File:Turner - Ships Bearing up for Anchorage (âÂÂThe Egremont SeapieceâÂÂ), exhibited 1802, T03868.jpg|Ships Bearing up for Anchorage by J.M.W. Turner File:Turner - Fishermen Upon a Lee-Shore in Squally Weather, 1802.jpg|Fishermen Upon a Lee-Shore in Squally Weather by J.M.W. Turner File:Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775âÂÂ1851) - The Tenth Plague of Egypt - N00470 - National Gallery.jpg|The Tenth Plague of Egypt by J.M.W. Turner File:Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) - Jason - N00471 - National Gallery.jpg|Jason by J.M.W. Turner File:Ben Lomond Mountains (Turner).jpg|Ben Lomond Mountains by J.M.W. Turner File:Benjamin West - Paddington Canal - 57.247 - Detroit Institute of Arts.jpg|Paddington Canal by Benjamin West File:'Arethusa' by Benjamin West, 1802, High Museum of Art.JPG|Arethusa by Benjamin West File:Benjamin West - Belisarius and the Boy - 13.11 - Detroit Institute of Arts.jpg|Belisarius and the Boy by Benjamin West File:Philip James de (1740 1812) Loutherbourg - The Cutting-Out of the French Corvette La Chevrette.jpg|The Capture of the Chevrette by Philip James de Loutherbourg File:Samuel Woodforde (1763-1817) - Dorinda, Wounded by Silvio, Is Sustained by Linco - 03-341 - Royal Academy of Arts.jpg|Dorinda, Wounded by Silvio, Is Sustained by Linco by Samuel Woodforde File:Henry Howard (1769-1847) (after) - Love Animating Galatea, the Statue of Pygmalion - 1397-1869 - Victoria and Albert Museum.jpg|Love Animating Galatea, the Statue of Pygmalion by Henry Howard File:John Opie (1761-1807) - Damon and Musidora (from James Thomson's 'The Seasons â Summer', 1727) - 486144 - National Trust.jpg|Damon and Musidora by John Opie File:Frances Talbot as 'Lavinia', painted by John Opie.jpg|Frances Talbot as Lavinia by John Opie File:John Opie (1761-1807) - The Angry Father (The Discovery⦠Correspondence) - 1885P2584 - Birmingham Museums Trust.jpg|The Angry Father by John Opie File:Richard Smirke (1778-1815) - 'The Merchant of Venice', Act IV, Scene 1, the Trial Scene - STRPG-A, 1993.96 - Royal Shakespeare Theatre.jpgThe Merchant of Venice by Richard Smirke File:Richard Westall (1765-1836) - Edwin (from James Beattie's 'The Minstrel', 1771-1774) - 485038 - National Trust.jpg|Edwin from The Minstrel by Richard Westall </gallery>