Yeah, I was thinking about the recognizability of portraits and of MT specifically, and came to the conclusion that while you might recognize an iconic portrait of MT, if you glance at a portrait you don't recognize, are you definitively going to be able to say it's *not* a, say, 15-yo MT, if an authority on the subject says it is? Cognitive science suggests otherwise; multiple experiments have shown that people will believe all sorts of things about what they're looking at if you put them on the spot and tell them something confidently, even if it's contrary to what they actually know or find plausible.

Now, of course Fritz may actually have had a portrait of MT in his room! For trolling, for gloating, for coming across as superior for having defeated such a worthy ally and for treating her with such "respect", for many reasons. But I also like the idea of him testing people's gullibility. :P

(BTW, I was v amused at Fritz complimenting MT on her complexion in the crack fic, ,because, Cahn, that’s another insult if you consider the Prussian ambassador wrote to Fritz she was ruining her face with all that outdoorsy stuff. (Remember the period ideal for female skin was soft, white and rosy, not tanned and wind-weathered!)

Indeed, that was intended to be an insult on more than one level, disguised as a compliment. :D I had fun with that one.