Sultan Selim III set up permanent embassies in Prussia, France and Austria, and sent out the first resident Turkish Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Yusuf Aga Efendi. He arrived in London in London in December 1793. He is shown here presenting his credentials to George III. Significantly, the print, after a large painting by Brown, is dedicated to His Grace The Duke of Leeds, Governor of the United Turkey Company. The trade between Turkey and Britain continued virtually uninterrupted for about 340 years, from the foundation of the Turkey Company in 1581 until the outbreak of the First World War.
Mather Brown was originally an American miniaturist who had settled in London. In 1781 he had become a pupil of his fellow American, Benjamin West, historical painter to George III. The network of patronage did not end there, as Brown advertises himself on this print as `Historical Painter to their R.H. The Duke & Duchess of York' and Daniel Orme, the engraver, proudly reveals that he is `Historical Engraver to his Majesty & his R.H. the Prince of Wales.'