Thomas Lawrence

This study traces the formative years of Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830), a gifted portrait painter who went on to become president of the Royal Academy. Lawrence was often compared to Renaissance prodigies such as Raphael, Michelangelo and Dürer. The book covers his first twenty-five years, a period that coincided with Britain forging a distinctive artistic identity at the close of the eighteenth century. It was produced alongside a major exhibition at the Holburne Museum in Bath and includes works that have never been published before, together with some of Lawrence's finest paintings.

Lawrence first drew notice after a scientific paper on childhood genius named him as an example. His family then settled in Bath, where the eleven-year-old spent much of his time painting visitors to the fashionable spa. By 1790, his portraits were the most admired works at the Royal Academy's annual exhibition, which opened just before his twenty-first birthday. The author examines how Lawrence understood himself as a prodigy, how Bath's lively cultural scene shaped him, how his technique advanced after he moved to London, and how he used celebrity, the printed press and the Royal Academy to build his reputation.

The book gives special attention to Lawrence's sensitive portrayals of old age and his vigorous images of youth. His portraits from this period offer a vivid view of high society at the turn of the century, depicting the Duchess of Devonshire, Emma Hamilton, the actresses Sarah Siddons and Elizabeth Farren, political figures, members of the Bluestocking circle and the Royal Family.