,frontispiece3 ,,mrs4 ,,robinson ,,as   
,,perdita4          ,bell's ,miniature  
,series of ,painters        ,,george    
,,romney      ,,by      ,,rowley        
,,cleeve          ,,london    ,,george  
,,bell  ,,sons    #aijh                 
,first ,published1 #aija4    ,reprinted1
 #aijd1 #aijh4          ,,table ,,of    
,,contents      ,the ,life of ,george   
,romney    ,lady ,hamilton    ,the ,art 
of ,romney    ,our ,illustrations       
,the ,chief ,works of ,romney    ,some  
of the ,chief ,books on ,romney         
,chronology          ,,list ,,of        
,,illustrations      ,mrs4 ,robinson as 
,perdita 444 ,frontispiece    ,the      
,countess-,duchess of ,sutherland       
,the ,parson's ,daughter    ,lady       
,hamilton    ,children ,dancing in a    
,ring    ,mrs4 ,mark ,currie    ,the    
,clavering ,children    ,george         
,granville1 afterwards ,duke of         
,sutherland          ,,the ,,life ,,of  
,,george ,,romney    ,george ,romney was
 a ,cumberland lad1 born in #agcd1 of   

parents who were  in humble             
circumstances living at ,dalton in the  
,fells4    ,his father was an ingenious 
man who lived on his own farm as a      
yeoman1 but who followed also the       
pursuits of a joiner and  cabinet-maker1
 and who was one of the first persons in
 the north to  see and make use of the  
newly imported wood mahogany1 from which
 he  made a chest of drawers out of a   
sailor's chest brought from the ,west   
,indies4    ,romney inherited much of   
his father's ingenuity1 and as a lad set
  about making a fiddle1 which he       
completed in later years and retained   
all his life4  ,it was a sound          
instrument of really good tone1 and the 
artist himself played well upon it4     
,as a lad ,romney was sent to a small   
local school2 but he made very  slight  
progress with his studies1 and preferred
 to spend his time in  sketching or in  
copying the pictures that he found in   
papers or books4    ,his father1 finding
 that he was making so little progress1 

took him  away from school before he was
 eleven1 and placed him in his own      
workshop1 where he soon began to learn  
how to ply the tools and to  make a     
creditable use of his new               
accomplishment4    ,still1 however1 his 
spare time was filled up by painting1   
and he made  very careful copies of the 
illustrations in a monthly magazine     
which  one of his father's workmen1 who 
boarded in the house1 lent him          
regularly as it appeared4    ,he was    
also asked by a person in the village to
 paint her portrait1  and succeeded in  
performing the commission in so         
creditable a way1  that it was quite    
clear to the elder ,romney that his son 
was intended  by nature to be an artist4
    ,accordingly1 yielding to the       
persuasions of the lad himself1 backed  
up as they were by those of many        
friends1 he took steps to apprentice    
him to an itinerant painter1 who was at 
that time in their  neighbourhood1 named
 ,steele4    ,here he was employed in   

the more menial work of the craft1      
grinding  colours and preparing the     
palette2 but ,steele1 although a poor   
painter himself1 had been well trained  
in ,paris1 and was able to  teach his   
young pupil much that was of the        
greatest use to him in his  after       
career4    ,steele afterwards eloped    
with a young lady who was one of his    
pupils1  and ,romney had to assist him  
in his arrangements4  ,they were        
difficult1 and involved a vast amount of
 trouble and exposure to  night air at a
 time when the youth was far from       
strong2 and after the  gay couple had   
escaped to ,gretna ,green1 ,romney fell 
ill of a fever1  and was nursed by a    
domestic servant named ,mary ,abbott4   
,with this  young person the artist fell
 violently in love1 and on recovering   
from his illness married her on ,october
 #adth1 #agef1 when only  twenty-two    
years old1 and without any means of his 
own on which to  live4    ,he had to    
leave his wife very soon after marriage1

 as ,steele had gone  to ,york1 where he
 expected ,romney to join him2 but after
 a while the  roving life that his      
master led1 and his improvident habits  
and  constant difficulties as to money1 
disheartened ,romney1 and he agreed     
with ,steele that1 if he would cancel   
his indenture1 ,romney would  forgive   
him a debt that he had incurred of #aj  
from the young  apprentice4    ,this    
course was adopted1 and ,romney returned
 to ,kendal1 where his  wife had been   
residing4    ,here he commenced his own 
work as a portrait-painter1 and from at 
first painting signboards he soon became
 known as a clever worker1  and was     
employed by the persons of quality in   
the neighbourhood to  paint their       
portraits4    ,many of the neighbouring 
landowners employed him1 and at this    
time  the artist set about painting     
historical scenes also and landscapes1  
in order to turn his time to profitable 
account4  ,many of these he  sold at    
,kendal ,town ,hall by a system of      

lottery that was then very  popular4    
,by such work the young couple were     
enabled to save #ajj1 and with  some of 
this money ,romney determined to make   
his way up to ,london1 as  he felt that 
the limited scope that he had in the    
north was cramping  his powers and that 
he was capable of greater things4    ,he
 had but two children1 a son and a      
little daughter1 and his wife1  who     
loved him profoundly1 was quite prepared
 to sacrifice herself in  order that her
 husband might prosper4  ,therefore1    
taking with him but  #cj of their joint 
savings1 and leaving the remainder for  
her and the  children1 ,romney left his 
native county for the great and distant 
city on ,march #adth1 #agfb4    ,the    
little daughter whom he left behind him 
died in the following  year1 and ,mrs4  
,romney1 with her son1 removed to the   
house of her  father-in-law1 ,john      
,romney1 with whom she continued to     
live4    ,during the whole time of his  
sojourn in ,london1 which1 with the     

exception of brief visits in #agfg and  
#aggi1 lasted till #agii1 ,romney       
appears to have continued on terms of   
the closest affection with his  wife1   
and to have remitted to her constantly  
such sums of money as  she required2 but
 he never brought her up to ,london1    
and1 as has been  stated1 only visited  
her in ,kendal twice during the         
thirty-seven  years which he spent in   
,london4    ,this is the incident in the
 life of the artist upon which much     
stress  has been laid by malevolent     
writers1 and hard things have been said 
without number about ,romney for his    
so-called desertion of his wife4    ,it 
must be remembered1 however1 that       
,romney's son and biographer does  not  
say any hard things about his father in 
this matter1 nor does he  upbraid him   
for leaving his wife far away in the    
,fells4  ,mrs4 ,romney  did not write   
letters of expostulation to her husband1
 or demand that  she should be brought  
up to ,london2 and when her husband     

returned to  her as an invalid1 she     
received him lovingly and nursed him    
with  great devotion till his death4    
,she in no way suffered pecuniary loss  
by his absence1 as he regularly sent    
sums of money to her2 and when  their   
son was old enough to come to town1     
,romney had him to his  house1 treated  
him with the greatest affection1 and    
took him about  with him4    ,surely it 
ill beseems those who consider the life 
of this gifted  artist so to condemn his
 action1 when those who were the ones   
best  fitted to blame him specially     
abstained from doing so6    ,mrs4       
,romney1 be it remembered1 came of very 
humble parentage1 and was  a homely     
person of but slight education4  ,she   
appears to have had her  own circle of  
friends in the places where she lived1  
to have been a  person of simple tastes1
 not anxious to mix in the world of     
fashion  or to receive its comments and 
its sneers4  ,she would have been in    
all probability unhappy in ,london1 have

 in no wise enjoyed the life  that her  
husband lived1 and have been an         
encumbrance to him and a  clog on his   
progress2 and ,romney very possibly     
feared to expose her  simplicity to the 
contempt of the people of fashion whom  
he met and  whose portraits he painted4 
,she may have desired to avoid such     
society and have preferred her  quiet at
 home1 and it may have been a refinement
 of kindness on his  part which led him 
to shelter her from the troubles which  
he knew  would await her in ,london4    
,there is nothing which1 with any degree
 of accuracy1 can be stated  against the
 moral character of ,romney whilst he   
was away from her1  and all such charges
 against him fall to the ground by      
reason of the  absence of proof1 and it 
seems clear that it was no such cause   
that  kept him from sending for his     
wife4  ,even the reports as to ,romney  
and ,lady ,hamilton1 to which reference 
is made in a succeeding  chapter1 are   
gainsaid by the letters of ,lady        

,hamilton herself which  are in the     
,morrison collection1 and no one has    
ever been able to  produce one single   
piece of evidence in support of the     
statements  that have been too wildly   
made4  ,mrs4 ,romney from the very first
  showed her deep attachment to her     
husband by sacrificing herself for  his 
advancement2 and she continued1 as her  
letters show1 throughout  her life1 to  
act in the same way for him1 and to give
 him her deepest  and tenderest         
affection3 and we are therefore         
justified in accepting  as normal a     
state of affairs as to which the chief  
persons concerned  made no complaint1   
and in declining to attribute to the    
artist any  unworthy motives for his    
conduct4    ,romney did not come to     
,london provided with references or     
introductions1 nor with much money1 and 
the consequence was that for  the first 
ten years of his life in town it was a  
struggle for him to  do any more than   
keep himself and remit small sums to his

 wife in  ,kendal4    ,he seems to have 
known only two persons in ,london1      
neither of whom  was in a position to do
 much to assist him4    ,his first      
important effort proved a disappointment
 to him in its  result4  ,he competed   
for a premium offered by the ,society of
 ,arts1  and his picture of ,the ,death 
of ,general ,wolfe1 sent in #agfc1      
received the second prize of fifty      
guineas4  ,later on1 however1 it  was   
stated that the picture was not painted 
at all by this unknown  artist1 but by  
someone else1 and that a fraud had been 
practised2 and  then1 when that was     
disproved1 the costume of the picture1  
which was  not the usual one adopted at 
the time1 was objected to2 and it was   
further claimed that the event was not  
strictly historical1 having  only so    
recently happened4  ,the prize was      
accordingly taken away from  ,romney2   
but1 in consideration of the merits of  
the work1 an  ex-gratia payment was made
 to the artist by the ,council of the   

,society of twenty-five guineas4  ,the  
leading artists of the day had  in this 
way given a slight to this new-comer    
which he never in after  years forgot4  
,whether1 as has been stated1 ,sir      
,joshua ,reynolds was at the head of    
this movement to crush the young artist 
we cannot tell2 but it seems  likely    
that the bitter jealousy which existed  
between the two men in  after years1 and
 which ,reynolds never lost an          
opportunity of  increasing1 took its    
rise at this time1 and certain it is    
that  ,reynolds hated to hear ,romney   
praised1 and was ever ready to say and  
do things that would annoy and irritate 
his rival4    ,romney had always been   
convinced that the study of the great   
artists  of the ,continent was needful  
for him before he would be able to      
accomplish what he felt was within him1 
and he made every effort to  get to     
,italy in order to study the ,old       
,masters4    ,at this time he was unable
 to accomplish his cherished desire for 

want of funds1 but he saved all that he 
could1 and contented himself  with a    
journey to ,paris4    ,here he copied   
all the works that appealed strongly to 
him1 and spent  every hour of his time  
in visiting galleries and churches and  
feasting his eyes on the treasures which
 they contained4  ,his  acquaintance    
with ,vernet was of great service to him
 at this issue4    ,on his return to    
,london after some seven weeks' absence 
he again set  valiantly to work1 and in 
#agfe carried off a premium from the    
,society  of ,arts of fifty guineas     
against all his competitors4    ,then1  
in #agfg1 he went down to see his wife1 
and when he returned to  ,london he     
brought with him his brother ,peter1    
hoping to be able to  assist him in some
 measure4  ,peter was not1 however1     
steady or  industrious1 and1 although he
 sat to his cleverer brother more than  
once1 he did not remain with him long1  
but drifted away and  eventually settled
 down to a more or less precarious life 

in  ,manchester4    ,romney now made    
close friends with ,richard ,cumberland1
 who was known  at that time as a writer
 of odes and a man of no small literary 
grace4  ,cumberland wrote about his new 
friend and also introduced him  to many 
other persons1 and in this way the      
artist obtained  commissions for        
portraits from several notable          
personages4    ,another important friend
 whom he made at this time was the      
miniature-painter ,ozias ,humphrey1 with
 whom he made several  excursions1 and  
who was one of his closest friends for  
many years4    ,two more efforts he made
 at this time to visit ,italy1 which was
 ever  the goal of his desire2 but on   
neither occasion was he able to start4  
,the death of a friend on one occasion  
and his own serious illness on  another 
prevented his leaving ,england1 but in  
#aggc the long-desired  visit took      
place4    ,the two friends1 ,romney and 
,humphrey1 set out on ,march #bjth1 and 
after resting at ,knole1 near           

,sevenoaks1 as the guests of the ,duke  
of  ,dorset1 to whom both artists were  
well known1 they left ,england by  water
 and arrived in ,rome on ,june #ahth4   
,he was provided this time with the best
 of introductions1 especially  bearing  
with him a letter to the reigning ,pope 
,clement ,,xiv41 who  received him most 
graciously1 and allowed him to have     
scaffolding  specially erected in the   
,vatican that he might study the works  
of  ,raphael4    ,other introductions   
which the artist took with him were from
 ,sir  ,william ,hamilton and his nephew
 ,greville4    ,romney was not yet a man
 of any means1 and he supported himself 
whilst in ,rome by painting portraits   
and some historical works1 and  by      
copying the great masterpieces which he 
found in the ,eternal ,city2  but he had
 to make every effort to be economical1 
as his pictures did  not meet with a    
ready sale in ,italy1 and he desired to 
visit many  other cities whilst in the  
country besides ,rome4    ,he actually  

did see ,venice1 ,bologna1 ,florence1   
,padua1 ,castel-franco1  and even some  
of the smaller cities1 as ,modena1      
,reggio and ,mantua4  ,then he slowly   
made his way back to ,england by way of 
,aix and ,paris1  arriving in ,london   
after two years' absence in high        
spirits1 full of  ideas1 and overwhelmed
 with enthusiasm for all he had seen1   
but in a  pecuniary condition poorer    
than he had ever been in his life4      
,he had1 in fact1 had to borrow money to
 carry him through ,france1 and  almost 
to starve himself in his journey1 as his
 small means had long  ago vanished1 and
 he had withdrawn all the money that he 
had banked  ere he left ,italy4    ,when
 he arrived he was met by demands for   
immediate assistance on the  part of his
 clever but ne'er-do-well brother       
,peter1 but was for the  moment unable  
to assist him4    ,he found1 however1   
that his own fame had increased during  
his  absence1 and the demand for work   
from his brush was considerable1 so     

much so that he was overwhelmed with the
 commissions that flowed in4    ,he felt
 now that he was in a position to take a
 larger house in a  more fashionable    
neighbourhood than he had possessed     
before2 and  accordingly1 as ,francis   
,cotes1 ,r4,a41 the painter in pastel1  
had died1  and his house in ,cavendish  
,square was still vacant1 ,romney took  
it  and moved in on ,christmas ,day1    
#agge4    ,cotes had died in #aggj1 and 
the sale of his effects took place in   
,february1 #agga2 but after that the    
house stood vacant for a long  time1 and
 when ,romney took it needed some       
considerable repair4    ,romney had ever
 a fondness for bricks and mortar1 and  
was delighted  at the prospect of       
altering and adding to the house4    ,he
 bought the lease1 which had some thirty
 years to run1 and was  subject to a    
rental of #aje per annum2 and1 although 
there was  already a good studio        
attached to the premises in the form of 
a  double room with sky-light and domed 

ceiling1 yet the artist must  needs set 
about building another and adding to the
 accommodation of  the house1 and so    
again exhausting his savings4    ,he    
also foolishly declined many of the     
commissions sent him1 because  he did   
not possess a studio which was1         
according to his ideas1 fit  for the    
reception of his clients1 and in this   
way an idea got about  that he was not  
desirous of doing any more work4  ,the  
public taste  accordingly veered round1 
and for a short time ,romney found      
himself  deserted by the crowds of      
would-be-sitters who had just before    
poured  in upon him4    ,then the ,duke 
of ,richmond1 who had befriended the    
artist before1 and  had opened his      
gallery of sculpture to his use at any  
time1 looked in  upon him at his new    
residence and gave him several          
commissions1  besides bringing with him 
many of his own friends1 and was        
delighted  to have the artist for a     
while practically to himself and his own

  circle of acquaintance4  ,this turned 
the tide once more in the  artist's     
favour1 and prosperity never again      
deserted him4    ,illustration3         
,,elizabeth1 ,,countess-,,duchess ,,of  
,,sutherland4    ,he now became the     
serious rival of ,reynolds1 who spoke of
 him in  slighting manner as the man in 
,cavendish ,square1 pretending1 with    
studied insult1 to have entirely        
forgotten his name4    ,all the world of
 fashion and wealth sat to the artist1  
and his list  of portraits reads like a 
page from the fashionable gazette of the
  day1 including as it does all the     
persons who were then well known in     
town and who constituted the cream of   
society4    ,the opportunity now arose  
for ,romney to show how indifferent he  
was  to the slights and contempt of his 
fellow-artists who ranged  themselves   
around ,sir ,joshua4    ,the ,royal     
,academy had at this time sprung into   
being1 and its members  desired to      
include all the chief artists in their  

ranks1 and to show  that those outside  
their membership were not worthy of     
attention4  ,all their efforts1 however1
 to include the name of the most        
fashionable artist of the time1 or to   
hang his pictures on the walls  of the  
exhibition1 were in vain4    ,romney was
 begged by his great friend ,jeremiah   
,meyer1 one of the  leading             
miniature-painters and an original      
member of the new ,academy1  to come    
within its shelter4  ,he was also       
approached by ,mrs4 ,moser1 by          
,humphrey1 and by ,angelica ,kauffmann1 
all of whom desired him to  exhibit his 
works4  ,but it was in vain1 and never  
did ,romney send a  single picture to   
the exhibitions of the ,royal ,academy4 
,he  completely ignored it1 would not   
suffer it to be mentioned in his        
presence1 considered that it was not    
worthy of any recognition1 and  went on 
painting pictures of all the loveliest  
women of society1 but  declining to     
allow a single one of them to be shown  

in the  exhibitions of the ,academy4    
,this determination was partly dictated1
 no doubt1 by modesty1 as  there is     
every evidence that ,romney was a       
modest1 retiring1 shy man1  and even at 
the very zenith of his fame was not     
found in the  brilliant society in which
 the ,president delighted4  ,he was fond
 of  his home and of his son1 and was   
not a gay but a quiet man2 but there  is
 little doubt that his refusal to share 
in the glories of the  ,academy was also
 partly the result of his wish to show  
to those who  had been bitter and who   
were still jealous of his fame that he  
was  quite able to stand alone1 and did 
not require the aid of any ,academy  to 
render his works popular or to enhance  
his fame4    ,the determination cost him
 the patronage of the ,court and of a   
certain select group of persons who     
followed the lead of the ,king and  did 
not select for themselves1 but it is    
probable that in the long  run the      
artist did not really suffer thereby4   

,he was a self-respecting and unassuming
 man at all times1 and was not  in the  
habit of forcing his way into any       
society or of appealing for  commissions
 from his friends4    ,no flattery      
escaped his lips1 no adulation of those 
who could assist  him by their          
introductions and so render him the aid 
which he  required2 and in all these    
ways he was the reverse of those who    
were  around him1 and who used every    
artifice to bring themselves into       
popular notice and shrank from no       
ignoble effort to obtain patronage4     
,in #aggi he seems to have paid one of  
his infrequent visits to his  wife in   
,kendal1 and to have refreshed himself  
by a sight of his  native county2 but he
 was soon back again and hard at work4  
,it was perhaps at about this time that 
he first made the acquaintance  of      
,william ,hayley1 a poet1 who had a     
great celebrity at that time1  but whose
 chief work1 ,the ,triumphs of ,temper1 
is now never read4    ,the influence of 

this man upon ,romney was not good1 and 
of it his  son1 the ,rev4 ,john ,romney1
 in after years spoke with much         
bitterness4  ,romney was1 as has been   
already stated1 fond of building work1  
and  pleased to see an opportunity of   
increasing a house or studio2 and  this 
propensity of his was encouraged by     
,hayley1 who loved to make a  sensation 
and to live in a large house2 and       
although ,hayley was fond  of ,romney   
and brought him many commissions1 yet on
 the whole the  judgment of later days  
is certainly to the effect that it would
 have  been better for ,romney if he had
 never met this attractive friend4      
,for over twenty years the two men      
continued fast friends1 and ,romney     
used often to go down to stay with      
,hayley at ,eartham1 near  ,chichester1 
and spent some weeks during each autumn 
with him4  ,he  decorated part of the   
house1 painting some delightful pictures
 to be  placed in the new library that  
,hayley built2 and he met there many    

pleasant friends1 amongst whom were the 
poet ,cowper and his friend  ,mrs4      
,unwin1 in connection with whom is the  
chief claim that ,hayley  has for       
remembrance1 and also the young sculptor
 ,flaxman1 for whom  ,romney acquired a 
deep friendship4    ,hayley was a man of
 fine taste1 personal fascination and   
amiability1  and fond of associating    
with men of culture and quality2 and it 
is  for his friends rather than for any 
work that he himself did that his       
memory is kept in honour4  ,romney is   
said to have first met him when1        
returning from ,kendal1 he stopped      
awhile at ,tabley as the guest of  ,sir 
,john ,leicester2 and1 as they were all 
of them great admirers of  ,pope1 the   
acquaintance began which lasted for so  
many years1 brought  them into contact  
with ,cowper and with ,gibbon1 and      
eventually made  ,hayley one of the     
biographers of ,romney4    ,in #agij    
,romney again went to ,paris1 this time 
accompanied by his  friend ,hayley and  

by the ,rev4 ,thomas ,carwardine1 whose 
portrait he  had painted4    ,they were 
well received in that city1 and visited 
many of the chief  galleries1 with      
introductions from the ,english         
,ambassador1 who at the  time was ,lord 
,gower1 afterwards second ,marquess of  
,stafford and first  ,duke of           
,sutherland4    ,during this visit      
,hayley is said to have obtained the    
first of  several loans that he got from
 ,romney and never repaid4  ,in this    
case  it was #ajj4    ,on his return to 
,london he was again almost overwhelmed 
with work1 as  more than ever he had    
become the fashion1 and his portraits   
were  desired by all who could afford to
 sit to him4  ,the strain1 however1  of 
such constant work was beginning to tell
 upon the artist1 who by  this time was 
sixty years old1 and he was glad of any 
excuse to leave  town for a while to    
rest himself in the country4    ,he took
 a little cottage at ,hampstead1 to     
which he could retire for  quiet2 he    

stayed more and more with ,hayley at    
,eartham1 desiring some  of his clients 
to come to him there1 that in the quiet 
of that  restful spot he might do fuller
 justice to their charms than he was    
able to do amid the turmoils of ,london 
life4    ,whilst there he often rode    
over to ,petworth1 where he was painting
  portraits for ,lord ,egremont1 and in 
these ways he got the country air  and  
rest that were out of the question when 
he was in town4  ,he did  not1 however1 
improve in mental vigour2 but the old   
mania for  building came on with greater
 force than ever1 and unfortunately     
,hayley did not scruple to encourage it 
for his own ends4    ,illustration3     
,,the ,,parson',s ,,daughter4    ,in    
#agif he was found one day by his son   
busy with extravagant ideas  and designs
 for a great mansion in ,edgware ,road1 
and it was only the  fact that his son  
was able to point out the folly of such 
an idea  which dissuaded him from its   
accomplishment4  ,the proposed purchase 

was eventually broken off1 and ,mr4     
,john ,romney records in his volume     
most gratefully his thankfulness to the 
solicitor1 who behaved very  handsomely 
in this matter4    ,romney was1 however1
 determined to leave ,cavendish ,square1
 and1  acting on the advice of his son  
to buy a ready-built house rather  than 
to erect one1 he purchased an old       
dwelling-house near ,holly ,bush  ,hill1
 ,hampstead1 now identified with that   
known as ,the ,mount1 ,heath  ,street1  
,hampstead1 close to where he had been  
in the habit of lodging  for some little
 while1 and where he found the quiet and
 retirement  which he desired4    ,this 
happened in #agif1 and ,romney let the  
residence in ,cavendish  ,square and    
went to reside at ,hampstead4    ,the   
accommodation did not1 however1 content 
him1 and he acquired two  copyhold plots
 of ground at the back of the house1 on 
which he  forthwith erected what ,hayley
 describes as a singular fabric1 but    
which ,cunningham calls a strange new   

studio and dwelling-house4    ,he adds  
that it cost #b1gcc1 and was an odd     
whimsical structure1 in  which there was
 nothing like sufficient domestic       
accommodation1  though there was a      
wooden arcade for a riding house in the 
garden1  and a very extensive picture   
and statue gallery4    ,there is little 
doubt that this structure forms part of 
what is at  present the ,constitutional 
,club1 the large room being ,romney's   
picture gallery1 although considerable  
additions have been made to  the        
building4    ,in #agih he had sold his  
,london house to ,mr41 afterwards ,sir  
,martin  ,shee1 and1 as this strange    
structure was ready1 he moved into it1  
and  let off to a ,mrs4 ,rundell the old
 adjacent house in which he had been    
residing4    ,the new whimsical         
structure was not really complete when  
the artist  went to live in it4  ,the   
walls were not dry1 the roof let in     
water2  but the artist insisted on      
moving into his fanciful residence1 and 

on  taking with him the vast stock he   
had of his own pictures and those  by   
other artists which he had collected4   
,many of them were quickly injured by   
the damp of the house1 and  others by   
being placed in the open arcade2 and    
,flaxman in a letter  records the       
distress that he felt at seeing so fine 
a collection of  works perishing4       
,romney was now more than ever under the
 influence of ,hayley1 which  was being 
used to its full and baneful extent1 and
 other persons were  taken into the     
house on the advice of the poet to      
assist the artist  and to look after    
him1 who were all more or less creatures
 of ,hayley4    ,hayley was considerably
 in ,romney's debt1 and was anxious1 it 
is  clear1 that no one of repute should 
look into the affairs of the  painter1  
but that his influence should reign     
supreme4    ,in #agih1 however1 ,romney 
broke away from this state of affairs1  
and1  accompanied by his son1 who was   
devoted to him1 and whose absence at    

his religious duties was the only reason
 which prevented his dwelling  always   
with the artist1 visited the north of   
,england1 not1 however1  as far as can  
be ascertained1 going to ,kendal4    ,a 
pleasant holiday was spent in the ,lake 
district1 but the mental  vigour of the 
old artist did not gain much increase of
 strength by  the change1 and when he   
returned to ,london his health had      
completely  broken down4    ,the        
following year he was again at ,eartham 
with ,hayley1 but for the  last time4   
,hayley's good nature towards his       
friends1 his extravagant  habits and his
 luxurious life1 combined with utter    
neglect of  monetary matters1 had       
brought about the necessity for stern   
retrenchment1 and ,eartham was to be    
sold4  ,he removed to ,felpham1  where  
he built a cottage near the sea1 and    
there he and his son  resided till the  
death of the latter1 shortly afterwards2
 but at the  earnest advice of ,flaxman 
and his wife1 coupled with the          

entreaties  of his son1 ,romney went    
north back again to his wife1 of whom he
 had  seen so little for many years4    
,she received him gladly and with open  
arms1 and nursed him to the end with the
 most touching tenderness4    ,the last 
event of his life was the return from   
,india of his brother1  ,colonel ,james 
,romney1 to whom he had always been     
greatly attached1  and for whom he had  
suffered some privations in order that  
the  requisite sum needful for the      
,colonel's advancement might be sent him
  many years before4    ,the aged artist
 was1 however1 hardly able to recognize 
his beloved  brother4  ,he soon         
afterwards became completely childish in
 mind1 and  never again regained his    
intellectual powers4    ,illustration3  
,,emma1 ,,lady ,,hamilton4    ,he died  
on ,november #aeth1 #ahjb1 at the age of
 sixty-eight1 passing  away in the arms 
of his wife1 who devoted herself        
entirely to him up  to the moment of his
 death4  ,she survived him for many     

years4          ,,lady ,,hamilton    ,in
 any consideration of the life and art  
of ,george ,romney1 however  brief1 it  
is impossible to leave out the name of  
,lady ,hamilton1 as  she was so         
constantly painted by him4    ,it will  
be well1 therefore1 for a short section 
of this little book  to be devoted to a 
story of the life of this fascinating   
person1 who  was fated to exercise so   
strong an influence upon the painter4   
,it is  hardly possible for the most    
imaginative romancer to tell a story    
more chequered in its events1 more      
thrilling in its emotions1 and  more sad
 in its end4    ,emma ,lyon was the     
daughter of a smith in ,cheshire1 a     
humble man1 who  died in #agfa1 after a 
very short married life1 and left his   
widow and  infant daughter wholly       
without support4    ,the widow moved at 
once from ,neston1 where her husband had
 died1 to  ,hawarden1 her native place1 
and here by the aid of her relatives1   
almost equally poor with herself1 she   

managed to bring up her child  and send 
her to a dame's school in the village4  
,when about twelve ,emma went as        
nursery-maid to the family of a ,mr4    
,thomas1 a doctor of ,hawarden1 whose   
son afterwards became an eminent        
surgeon4    ,at sixteen she left and    
came to ,london1 and became housemaid to
 a  tradesman in ,st4 ,james's ,street2 
and then later on1 probably in #aggh1   
became nursemaid in the family of       
another doctor1 one ,dr4 ,budd1 a       
physician in ,st4 ,bartholomew's        
,hospital4    ,from here she migrated   
out to the west end1 taking a place as  
lady's-maid in the house of a lady of   
fashion whose dwelling was a  favourite 
resort of the gayest persons of the day1
 and where she had  ample opportunity of
 reading as many books as she desired1  
of  dressing in a style which made her  
more attractive1 and of receiving  a    
great deal of praise for her beauty and 
the quality of her voice4    ,the first 
slip which she made in her career was   

occasioned by her  going to plead with  
,admiral ,payne for the release of a    
cousin who had  been forcibly pressed   
into the navy1 and whose family were1   
without  his assistance1 unprovided for4
  ,emma undertook this mission out of   
good nature and gained her petition2 but
 in return the admiral1 who  was much   
struck by the beauty of her face1 became
 her suitor1 and she  entered his house 
as his mistress4  ,this life lasted for 
a very short  time1 as a wealthy        
baronet1 ,sir ,harry ,featherston1 who  
visited  ,admiral ,payne1 begged her to 
leave him and come to ,up ,park as its  
mistress4    ,the admiral1 who was      
shortly going on board his ship1        
consented to  part with the fair ,emma1 
who was much attached to her latest     
lover1  and she went off with ,sir      
,harry to ,up ,park1 where she resided  
in the  midst of every luxury for some  
months4  ,here she learned to ride on   
horseback1 and succeeded in attaining to
 great proficiency in this              

accomplishment4    ,the affection1      
however1 shown her by ,sir ,harry       
,featherston1 lasted  but a short time1 
and soon he began to weary of his toy4  
,he brought  his mistress to ,london1   
but was ashamed to let her be seen with 
him  in public1 and so gradually        
neglected her2 and at the end of #agha  
they separated1 as ,emma was not one to 
put up tamely with neglect1  and was    
ambitious of yet greater conquests4     
,they always remained  friends1 and     
corresponded to the end of their days2  
but another field  of opportunity was   
now opening1 and ,emma was ready to     
avail herself  of it4    ,the notorious 
and unscrupulous quack ,dr4 ,graham was 
at that time in  the height of his fame1
 and he had opened in #aggi his         
so-called  ,temple of ,health in the    
,adelphi4    ,he was on the point of    
removing to more important premises when
 ,emma  ,lyon left ,up ,park1 and when1 
therefore1 the ,temple of ,hymen1 as the
  new imposture was named1 was opened at

 ,schomberg ,house1 ,pall ,mall1 in  the
 residence afterwards occupied by       
,richard ,cosway1 ,r4,a41 and by        
,gainsborough1 it was ,emma ,lyon who1  
as ,hebe and the model of perfect       
beauty1 health and happiness1 was one of
 the greatest attractions of  the place4
    ,this wonderful woman1 who was so   
lovely in face and form1 and was  withal
 so graceful in attitude1 exhibited     
herself at the command of  the quack in 
the most becoming of costumes of light  
drapery1 posing  as a goddess and       
attracting numerous admirers4  ,her     
beauty drew to  the exhibition many of  
the noted painters and sculptors of the 
day1  who were anxious to perpetuate the
 features and form of the fair  ,emma1  
and to draw her in the attitudes and    
characters which she so  cleverly       
assumed4    ,she had no compunctions as 
to what character she assumed1 whether  
it  was ,venus or a ,bacchante1 provided
 that she was admired and received  the 
praise which was the very breath of her 

existence4    ,it was1 however1 only for
 a short time that she remained with    
,dr4  ,graham1 as ,mr4 ,charles         
,greville1 the second son of the ,earl  
of  ,warwick1 to whom all her past      
history was unknown1 and who fondly     
imagined that she was1 as she           
represented herself to be1 a paragon of 
virtue1 fell deeply in love with her1   
and after a while gained her  affection 
in return4    ,greville was a man of the
 most cultivated taste1 and he set about
 the  education of the fair ,emma with  
great zeal1 training her in music1 in   
dancing1 in the love of the fine arts1  
and in the duties and  accomplishments  
that befitted her new position4    ,he  
found out1 after a short time1 that she 
loved to be admired1 and  was ready to  
do anything that would obtain for her   
that  gratification2 but so successful  
was she in retaining her conquest of    
the man who appears to have honestly    
loved her1 that for many years  they    
lived together with considerable        

apparent affection on both  sides4      
,when with ,greville she sent for her   
mother1 who from that moment and  for   
some twenty years remained with her1    
assuming first the name of  ,cadogan1   
and then later on that of ,hart1 and she
 conducted herself  with so much        
propriety that when ,greville died he   
left her an annuity  of #ajj per annum4 
,emma was now known as ,mistress ,hart1 
and it was under that name that         
,greville first introduced her to       
,romney in #aghb1 when he was himself   
sitting to the artist for his portrait4 
,during all the time when she first sat 
to ,romney she was living with          
,greville and was attached to him1 and  
there is absolutely no evidence         
whatever that the relationship between  
her and the artist was any  other than  
that of a beautiful and accomplished    
woman sitting to a  clever artist in    
numerous delightful scenes and          
characters4    ,few works in which she  
is represented are more beautiful than  

the  ,circe1 in which her fair girlish  
form is seen advancing toward the       
spectator full of the knowledge of that 
power of fascination that she  had in so
 supreme a degree4    ,in #aghd another 
set of circumstances came into play4    
,greville had  been extravagant in his  
method of living1 and his affairs were  
somewhat embarrassed4  ,he had seen a   
lady of quality with ample means  whom  
he had thoughts of marrying2 and at this
 moment his uncle1 ,sir  ,william       
,hamilton1 who was ,ambassador to the   
,king of ,naples1 arrived  in ,london   
upon a long leave of absence4    ,sir   
,william was fascinated by the mistress 
of his nephew1 and a  curious agreement 
seems to have been entered into between 
the two  men4  ,greville gave up his    
mistress to his uncle on the            
understanding  that he took her to      
,naples1 provided securities for the    
payments of  ,greville's debts1 and made
 such arrangements as to his property as
  constituted ,greville his heir4       

,sir ,william was1 on his part1 to      
provide properly for ,emma1 who1 with   
her mother1 was to follow him to ,naples
 under the excuse that she  might there 
complete her training in music and      
singing under his  care1 and return to  
,greville when his means allowed him to 
provide  for her4    ,she appears to    
have left ,england in complete ignorance
 that she had  been transferred to ,sir 
,william ,hamilton1 and1 from her       
pathetic  letters to her old lover1 to  
have been most anxious to leave ,naples 
and return to him4    ,this was1        
however1 impossible1 and ,greville1 who 
was1 it is clear1  attached in some     
measure to her1 and somewhat ashamed of 
his part in  the bargain1 had to make it
 clear to her that their connection was 
at  an end1 and that she had better     
yield to the persuasions of his  uncle4 
,eventually she did so1 but later on1 in
 #agia1 prevailed upon  him to marry    
her1 and they were married at ,naples4  
,he then brought her back to ,london1 as

 it was needful that she should  be     
married according to the rites of the   
,church of ,england and  presented at   
,court in order that she should take the
 position that  was now rightfully hers 
as the wife of an ,english ambassador2  
and  accordingly they were again        
married1 and this time in ,marylebone   
,church1 on ,september #fth1 #agia4     
,then again she sat to ,romney as ,joan 
of ,arc1 as ,cassandra and as  ,the     
,seamstress1 before she returned to     
,naples as ,lady ,hamilton4    ,into the
 long history of her life in ,naples    
there is no need to enter  in these     
pages1 nor to relate the story of the   
attachment which1 as  the wife of ,sir  
,william ,hamilton1 she formed for      
,nelson4  ,she  exercised great         
influence and power at ,naples during   
the war1 and was  of the greatest       
assistance to ,nelson1 who for her sake 
deserted and  cast off his wife1 and    
entered into a close connection with    
,lady  ,hamilton1 who was1 it is clear1 

the mother of his child ,horatia4       
,after the recall of the ambassador when
 the conduct of his wife had  become    
notorious1 ,nelson took up his residence
 in the same house as  that occupied by 
the ,hamiltons2 and when ,sir ,william  
died in #ahjb she  went to reside with  
,nelson at ,merton with the distinct    
understanding  that so soon as ,lady    
,nelson was dead he would make her his  
wife4    ,nelson1 however1 died before  
his wife1 and by his will left to ,lady 
,hamilton certain property2 but her     
extravagant manner of living soon       
exhausted her means1 and as the nation  
did nothing of importance for  her1 an  
execution was put in and ,merton and all
 its contents were  sold4  ,she then    
retired to a smaller house1 and later on
 to lodgings1  but was arrested for     
debt2 and when she was able to do so she
 left  the country and went to ,calais1 
where1 in #ahad1 she settled down1      
first in a farmhouse and then in        
apartments4    ,her means were by this  

time greatly reduced1 as she had only   
the  interest of the money settled upon 
her daughter and the wreck of her  own  
estate2 but1 as her daughter stated in  
later years1 although  certainly under  
very distressing circumstances1 she     
never  experienced actual want4 ,her    
loveliness had left her1 the beauty of  
her form had given place to corpulence1 
and it was in distress of  mind and body
 that she died1 attended only by her    
faithful daughter  and by a rough hired 
servant1 in her lonely apartments in the
 ,rue  ,franaise1 ,calais1 on ,january  
#aeth1 #ahae4    ,she had some years    
before become a ,catholic1 and was at   
the very last  attended by a priest and 
was buried with full ,catholic rites    
outside  ,calais in the cemetery2 but   
the land has for many years ceased to be
  used as a burying-place1 and all trace
 of her grave has been lost4  ,her      
daughter survived her1 and as the wife  
of the ,rev4 ,p4 ,ward died  in ,march1 
#ahha1 at the age of eighty-one years4  

,,the ,,art ,,of ,,romney    ,romney is 
almost exclusively known as a painter of
 portraits1 his  historical scenes      
attracting but little attention4  ,in   
their way they  were remarkable1 but    
they were forced in their conception and
  over-sentimental in their design1 as  
was the fashion of the day4  ,in  his   
portraits he struck a much truer note   
and by them his repute will  stand4     
,it is almost impossible1 taking into   
consideration the time in which  he     
lived1 to avoid comparing him with his  
great rivals ,reynolds and              
,gainsborough1 and perhaps it is well   
that it should be so1 as by  thinking of
 him in connection with these two men it
 will be possible  to obtain a better   
impression of his capabilities and a    
knowledge of  his faults4    ,he was1 it
 is quite certain1 a far less important 
man than  ,gainsborough1 who must       
certainly be reckoned as the greatest of
 the  three4    ,he lacked the colour   
sense that distinguished that great     

artist2 he  was by no means his equal in
 technical merit2 and he had no ability 
to produce landscape-work that gave so  
great a charm to the pictures  of the   
,sudbury artist4    ,the wonderful      
poetry that streamed from the brush of  
,gainsborough and  refined all his      
works1 the delicacy1 the grace and the  
sweetness of  his figures are all       
superior qualities to those which       
,romney  possessed1 whilst as a         
colourist ,gainsborough stood head and  
shoulders above both his rivals4        
,when we come to draughtsmanship we are1
 however1 on a different  footing1 as   
,romney was the superior both of        
,reynolds and ,gainsborough  in ability 
to draw with accuracy and truth1 and he 
also surpassed  both of them in the     
manner in which he obtained his effects4
    ,where ,reynolds laboured ,romney   
achieved the same effect with the       
greatest ease and simplicity2 and1 in   
fact1 the word simplicity may  be taken 
as the key-word in anything like a      

critical survey of  ,romney's work4     
,he was not so varied as was ,reynolds4 
,his pictures have a certain  monotony  
about them which is more apparent than  
real4  ,it is not that  ,romney1 as has 
been unwisely said1 made all his women  
alike1 for that  is not so2 but the     
charm that constituted one of the chief 
merits of  the artist was dependent to a
 great extent upon tricks of posture1   
glance and costume1 and1 having         
ascertained what these were1 there  was 
a danger on ,romney's part of repeating 
them4  ,there is further a  certain     
monotony about his colouring1 as he so  
greatly favoured the  rich golden browns
 and deep roses that distinguish his    
best works4    ,he was1 however1 a true 
artist and could not avoid making his   
pictures beautiful4  ,he had a keen     
sense of beauty1 a passionate love  of  
warm1 rich1 sunny colour1 and when he   
came to deal with historical  or        
dramatic scenes a very powerful         
imagination2 but he was careless  and   

wasteful of his powers1 and was so      
overwhelmed with commissions  that he   
did not put his best work into many of  
the pictures that he  painted4  ,they1  
however1 always charm1 and they are     
always pleasing  and generally poetic1  
although they are in other respects very
  frequently open to grave criticism4   
,there are instances in which his       
ability reaches a very high plane4      
,some of his portrait figures are really
 sublime1 and the superb  dignity of    
such portraits as those of ,lady        
,hamilton as ,circe and  ,cassandra will
 not be easy to exceed4    ,other       
important characteristics of this great 
artist were his love of  children and   
his ability to paint them in all their  
brisk childish  humour4  ,the delicious 
piquancy of the bright little faces1 so 
full  of charm1 delight all who behold  
them1 and there is also an  irresistible
 grace and sweetness about the figures  
of his children  that is very           
noteworthy4    ,mark how cleverly he    

depicts motion1 how easily in the       
,stafford and  ,clavering groups of     
children the young people move1 and in  
what  graceful attitudes the artist has 
represented them4  ,they hardly  touch  
the ground as they gracefully glide     
around through the figures  of the mazy 
dance1 and the happiness of their faces 
and the grace of  their postures are    
alike most charming4    ,romney had a   
very real sense of grace4  ,his ideas   
were circumscribed  by the fashion for  
classic attire which ruled the day1 and 
the  delight which his sitters had in   
being represented1 not in their  usual  
garb and posture1 but as some goddess or
 mythological creation1  and clothed in 
the robes of ,greece or ,rome4          
,illustration3 ,,children ,,dancing ,,in
 ,a ,,ring3 ,,portraits ,,of ,,members  
,,of  ,,the ,,stafford ,,family4        
,whatever position or costume1 however1 
he adopted1 it was always  graceful1    
refined and decorous2 but some of his   
sweetest pictures  were those where the 

simplest of gowns and the most natural  
of  attitudes were selected1 as1 for    
example1 ,the ,seamstress4    ,lady     
,hamilton1 by her ingenuity in placing  
herself in the most  becoming and       
graceful of attitudes1 and by the       
marvellous power of  expression that she
 possessed1 enabling her to show in her 
countenance the very thoughts of the    
creation that she was  representing1    
delighted ,romney1 and over and over    
again he posed her  in various ways1 and
 painted with increasing delight her    
lovely face4    ,she1 who lived upon    
adulation1 and desired above all that   
her beauty  should be admired1 was never
 tired of sitting to the artist who     
above  all men had the desire and the   
power to express her features in their  
wonderful sweetness1 and so the memory  
of the graceful sitter and  clever      
artist are handed down together4        
,there is no doubt that the fame alike  
of sitter and artist served to  make    
more popular the ,grecian style of      

costume seen in the pictures1  and so   
served to banish the more formal        
long-waisted style of dress  that had   
been so popular a short time before4    
,classic ideas became  more and more the
 vogue1 and to the grace of the drapery 
is to be  attributed some of the charm  
of the pictures4  ,once this was        
realized  it was not easy for the artist
 to alter his original suggestion1 and  
all the great ladies of the day had to  
be painted in the style that  suited    
,lady ,hamilton1 but was not bound to   
suit the different styles  of beauty of 
those who desired to follow her example 
and be painted  by the fashionable      
artist4    ,one of the great advantages 
which the portraits of ,romney have over
  those of ,reynolds consists in the    
fact that the colours in them have      
stood the test of time4  ,even in       
,reynolds's own time the colours were   
beginning to fly from many of his works1
 and it is recorded that1  having       
displeased the great connoisseur ,horace

 ,walpole1 by some  disparaging remarks 
upon a picture of ,henry ,,vii4 that had
 been shown  to the ,president1 ,walpole
 had his revenge by saying that ,sir    
,joshua  was not very likely to admire  
any picture in which the colours had    
stood4    ,even ,hayley1 addressing ,sir
 ,joshua in poetry1 desires him to teach
  but thy transient tints no more to    
fly1 and so draws attention thus  early 
to what is the great blemish of the art 
of the ,president4    ,romney avoided   
the constant experiments which were the 
bane of his  great rival4  ,reynolds was
 never satisfied with the result that he
  obtained1 but desired something finer 
and richer1 and he was  therefore always
 experimenting with new media1 fresh    
colours and  subtle underpainting1 in   
order to produce some unusually         
brilliant  effect4  ,romney was of far  
simpler mind4  ,he was able to obtain   
all  the effect he desired in the       
plainest and most simple means1 and1    
having found a scheme of colouring which

 delighted him and a  technique which he
 considered sufficient1 he rested       
content4    ,the use by ,reynolds of    
such ephemeral colours as lake and      
carmine in  his flesh tints had no      
attraction for ,romney4  ,he was never  
bitten  with the desire which           
characterized the ,president to use     
bitumen or  asphaltum in his backgrounds
 and shadows1 or to employ wax in his   
medium2 and by the avoidance of all     
these pitfalls he was able to  secure   
for his colours that quality of secure  
tenure which those used  by the         
,president so lacked4    ,doubtless the 
search by the ,president after greater  
excellence was a  characteristic in his 
favour1 and the regular method adopted  
by his  rival was not so praiseworthy1  
but the result has been to the          
satisfaction of the present generation2 
and where the works of  ,reynolds are   
but wrecks of what they once were       
7especially in the  early and middle    
parts of his career71 albeit they are   

notable  wrecks1 those of ,romney are as
 fresh to-day as when first painted4    
,there is also1 it must be acknowledged1
 a greater force and  brilliance in the 
faces of ,romney's sitters than in those
 of ,reynolds4    ,the ,president loved 
to express the aristocratic composure1  
the deep  thoughtfulness1 the calm      
placidity of many of his fair women1 and
 the  dignity1 reserve and autocracy of 
the men of the day2 but ,romney's  faces
 are more piquant1 more brilliant1 full 
of action in many  instances1 and       
running over with life and delight4     
,his colouring1 as has already been     
noted1 is very frequently the rich      
harmony of gold and brown with flushes  
of full rose in which he so  delighted2 
but he was not afraid of painting the   
primary colours when  it was desirable  
that he should do so1 and in one of the 
,national  ,gallery pictures this       
capability can be well seen4    ,there  
is a melting quality1 a charming manner 
of soft modelling that  is also         

characteristic1 an agreeable manner by  
which each colour  composes itself into 
its adjacent tint without any hardness  
of  outline2 but even this suavity could
 be replaced by a certain hard1  even   
rugged force1 if desirable1 and the     
picture just mentioned will  also       
represent this harshness of outline4    
,on the whole he possessed to an unusual
 degree the power to thrill  and to     
delight4  ,his pictures are melodious1  
charming1 graceful4  ,his  grouping is  
delightful and expressive of the highest
 genius2 his  draperies are simply and  
slightly painted2 while the modelling of
 the  features is full of consummate    
dexterity4    ,he attached great        
importance to the painting of fingers   
and hands1  and gave much expression to 
them4  ,his faces are quiet1 and have   
often a look of the deepest pathos about
 them1 a look which even  approaches to 
melancholy2 but1 on the other hand1 the 
sprightliness  of youthful joy was well 
expressed by him1 and if in a phrase his

  qualities are to be summed up1 they   
may be so by the words grace1  melody1  
sunshine and sweetness4          ,,our  
,,illustrations    ,from the ,national  
,gallery we have selected two3 a        
portrait of ,mrs4  ,mark ,currie and the
 portrait called ,the ,parson's         
,daughter4    ,mrs4 ,mark ,currie       
represents a life-size1 nearly          
full-length figure4  ,the lady is       
dressed in a simple white muslin dress  
with short  sleeves1 and an elaborate   
fichu of the same material4  ,round her 
waist is a silk sash of pale red1 and   
the ribbons which trim her  sleeves and 
fichu are of the same pale tint4  ,her  
fair hair1  slightly powdered1 falls in 
full clusters around her shapely        
shoulders4    ,her face wears a quiet   
thoughtful expression1 with a lurking   
look of  humour about the eyes4  ,the   
background is slightly suggested        
landscape and trees4    ,the lady was a 
,miss ,elizabeth ,close1 who married    
,mr4 ,mark ,currie1 a  goldsmith and    

banker1 in ,january1 #aghi1 and gave her
 first sitting  for the portrait on the 
#gth of ,may of the same year4          
,illustration3 ,,mrs4 ,,mark ,,currie4  
,it is not known whom ,the ,parson's    
,daughter represents1 nor why it  bears 
that name4    ,it is a very charming    
circular portrait of a young lady with  
dark  eyes and auburn hair1 which is    
powdered and bound with a green  ribbon4
  ,she wears a brown dress and white    
handkerchief4    ,the modelling on the  
face is very dexterously painted1 and   
the tender  thoughtful expression of the
 dark eyes quite beautiful4    ,the hair
 is painted in very broad1 powerful     
fashion1 and the  draperies over the    
bust indicated lightly and put on with a
 wonderful  sliding movement which is   
notable4  ,on the whole ,romney seldom  
did a  more pleasing piece of work than 
the portrait of this quiet and  refined 
dainty girl4      ,the ,clavering       
,children1 which we have the special    
permission of the  owner 7,rev4 ,j4 ,w4 

,napier-,clavering7 to reproduce1 is a  
very happy  example of ,romney's ability
 to depict children in movement and to  
give the effect of rapid motion4        
,mark how lightly the two children tread
 the ground1 with what easy  step they  
move forward1 seeming to come right out 
of the canvas  towards the spectator4   
,notice how the scarf1 which forms part 
of the  dress of the girl1 streams out  
in the wind1 and see how lightly and    
with what a graceful movement the lad   
holds in the two dogs4    ,romney was at
 his very best in this delightful group4
  ,the faces of  both boy and girl are  
painted with unusual care1 the clear    
eyes of  the manly lad seeming to look  
right into the spectator2 while the     
downcast lids of the girl's face serve  
but to reveal through their  clear      
semi-transparency the brown eyes which  
they hide4    ,much attention has in    
this work been given to the hands1 which
 ,romney  rightly believed were         
indicative of character4  ,the grasp of 

the  sturdy fingers of the boy contrasts
 well with the long slender  fingers    
which grasp the dog in loving embrace1  
and the same pleasing  idea of          
divergence can be seen in the modelling 
of the faces and in  the posture and    
shape of the feet4  ,the dogs are       
painted in very  natural positions3 the 
darker spaniel1 which is leaping up to  
the  lad1 is evidently in a favourite   
posture and full of enthusiasm  towards 
his young master2 while the tiny puppy  
which the girl hugs to  her breast1 and 
which the parent dog is most anxious to 
have back  again into her care1 is a fat
 little comic beast1 quite young1 and   
very ready to be caressed4              
,illustration3 ,,thomas ,,john          
,,clavering1 ,,afterwards ,,eighth      
,,baronet1 ,,and  ,,his ,,sister1       
,,catherine ,,mary4    ,the scene has no
 studio atmosphere about it4  ,it was   
clearly  unpremeditated1 and has been   
happily seized by the artist at the     
right moment and perpetuated in this    

work4  ,there is no elaborate           
underpainting in this picture1 all the  
effects of it being obtained  in the    
simplest manner4  ,the sky and ground   
afford a sufficient foil  in the way of 
scenery1 and the two children come      
dancing towards the  person who looks at
 the picture with the most artless grace
 and  charm1 attended as they are by    
their canine companions4    ,the boy was
 afterwards ,sir ,thomas ,john          
,clavering1 the eighth baronet1  of     
,axwell ,park1 where the family still   
reside1 and was the grand-son  of the   
sixth baronet1 ,sir ,james4  ,he was    
born in #agga1 married in  #agia1       
succeeded his uncle in the family       
estates and title1 and died  in #ahec4  
,his sister1 ,catherine ,mary1 died     
unmarried in #aghe4    ,the picture is a
 large one1 as the figures are          
life-size1 and it has  been engraved2   
and hardly any of the works of ,romney  
is more worthy  of praise than this     
vivacious and graceful creation4        

,the wonderful eyes which distinguished 
the features of ,lady  ,hamilton can be 
well appreciated in the portrait which  
we give from  the ,national ,portrait   
,gallery4  ,the face is not altogether a
 pleasing  one4  ,it reveals some of the
 desire to fascinate which distinguished
  the lady's character4    ,there is a  
purpose in the gaze which these eyes    
extend to the  observer1 and the        
attitude1 although intended to be a     
natural one1 is  quite evidently studied
 and assumed4  ,it is intended to give  
full  play to the face and eyes1 and to 
reveal the graceful curves of the  arms 
and the slender beauty of the fingers4  
,the very roundness of  the face is     
accentuated against the angles of the   
fingers in their  half-closed position1 
and there is a studied grace in the     
arrangement  of the draperies and in the
 muslin bands which form the head-dress4
  ,in all these respects it is a fitting
 representation of the famous  beauty1  
who in a less natural pose would not    

have so amply revealed  her power of    
charm4    ,the painting of the features 
with all their delicate and slight      
modelling is a triumphant success1 and  
the eyes1 which burn down into  the very
 consciousness of the spectator1 are    
superbly represented4  ,the picture1    
small as it is1 and showing but little  
of the graceful  form1 is yet a         
masterpiece1 and is a delineation of    
character  unsurpassed in its effect by 
any other portrait by the same hand4    
,there is in the ,wallace ,gallery an   
interesting ,portrait of ,mrs4          
,robinson1 the beautiful actress1 in the
 character of ,perdita1 the  daughter of
 ,leontes in ,the ,winter's ,tale1 which
 she made so  peculiarly her own4       
,mrs4 ,robinson first took the part in  
the performance on ,december #crd1      
#aggi1 at ,drury ,lane1 in the presence 
of their ,majesties ,king ,george       
,,iii4 and ,queen ,charlotte1 and also  
before the youthful ,prince of  ,wales1 
whose affection was afterwards to have  

such an effect upon her  life4    ,she  
was at that time just over twenty-one   
years old1 married to a man  who        
systematically insulted and neglected   
her and spent his time with  the lowest 
and most degraded of the women of his   
acquaintance4  ,the  ,prince of ,wales  
was in his eighteenth year1 very        
susceptible1 and he  was at once        
attracted by this lovely woman1 little  
more than a girl1  who acted superbly   
and with such artless grace4  ,in this  
way an  acquaintance was commenced1     
,viscount ,malden being employed as an  
intermediary1 and ripened into a closer 
affection4    ,she1 however1 hardly met 
the ,prince until he had his separate   
establishment in ,buckingham ,house1 as 
during the time when he lived  at ,kew  
he was kept under the strictest         
regulations4  ,from the #ast of         
,january1 #agha1 he was1 however1 his   
own master1 and ,mrs4 ,robinson  shared 
his establishment1 and was at the height
 of her beauty and  position4    ,the   

attachment only continued for some two  
years1 when the ,prince1  having vowed  
perpetual devotion to his ,perdita1 and 
made her many  presents and more        
promises1 suddenly transferred his      
affection to  ,mrs4 ,grace ,dalrymple   
,elliott and absented himself from ,mrs4
 ,robinson4    ,he paid no attention to 
her misery1 nor in any way assisted her 
in  her distress1 though he had given   
her a bond for #bj1jjj when she  quitted
 the theatre at his desire to live with 
him4  ,she eventually1  however1        
obtained1 through ,charles ,james ,fox1 
an annuity of #ejj a  year1 and devoted 
herself to literature4    ,she had a    
very devoted daughter who lived with    
her1 and in the  presence of this       
daughter she died in ,december1 #ahjj1  
and was buried  at ,old ,windsor by her 
own particular desire4    ,in the       
picture in the ,wallace ,gallery she is 
represented in the  walking costume     
which she assumed when she played the   
part of  ,perdita1 wearing a handsome   

lace bonnet and carrying a huge muff4   
,the face is one of peculiar sweetness1 
and the eyes have an arch  look1 mingled
 with thoughtful pathos1 which is       
peculiarly attractive4    ,the face is  
wonderfully painted1 the modelling being
 subtle and very  dexterous2 while the  
harmony of the whole work is most       
noticeable4  ,the picture is one of     
,romney's most successful works in its  
charm of  colour and sweetness of       
expression4      ,the remaining three of
 our illustrations are taken from the   
gallery  of the ,duke of ,sutherland at 
,trentham1 and are reproduced by kind   
permission of their noble owner1 and of 
his ,grace's representative1  ,mr4      
,bagguley4    ,the chief of the three is
 the important portrait group of        
,children  dancing in a ,ring1 one of   
the most famous groups that ,romney ever
  executed4  ,the tall lady with the    
tambourine is ,lady ,anne               
,leveson-,gower1 third daughter of the  
,earl ,gower who afterwards became      

first ,marquess of ,stafford1 by his    
second wife1 ,lady ,louisa ,egerton4    
,she became eventually the wife of      
,vernon ,harcourt1 ,archbishop of ,york4
    ,the four dancing children are her  
step-sisters and step-brother1 the      
children of the earl by his third wife1 
,lady ,susan ,stewart--the  ,ladies     
,georgiana1 ,charlotte1 and ,susan      
,leveson-,gower1 who became             
respectively ,lady ,g4 ,eliot1 the      
,duchess of ,beaufort1 and the ,countess
  of ,harrowby4  ,the young lad is ,lord
 ,granville ,leveson-,gower1  afterwards
 elevated to the peerage as the first   
,earl ,granville1 the  father of the    
late well-known statesman of the same   
name4    ,the picture is a charming     
example of the skill of the artist1 both
 in  expressing lightness and grace in  
attitude1 and also in power of  grouping
 and composition4  ,the children are    
moving with the utmost  daintiness and  
freedom1 and are all of them admirably  
well drawn4    ,the tall figure is1 if  

anything1 a little too tall1 but adds   
dignity  to the group1 while the artless
 expression on the faces of the girls   
is beyond praise4  ,there is a peculiar 
sweetness and happiness in the  faces of
 all the little ones1 and they are      
evidently in full  enjoyment of health  
and spirits1 and have no feeling of     
formal  grouping or stilted posing about
 them4    ,illustration3 ,,george       
,,granville1 ,,second ,,marquess ,,of   
,,stafford ,,and  ,,first ,,duke ,,of   
,,sutherland4    ,the colour scheme is  
delightful4  ,the white dress of the    
tall sister  and of the boy1 with the   
same hue in the columns1 is charmingly  
contrasted with the green1 plum colour  
and red of the other dresses1  and with 
the increase of colour that the scarves 
of brown and purple  give4  ,all is     
harmony and grace without artifice1 and 
the technique  of the picture is of the 
very simplest order4      ,as an example
 of dignity and restraint1 the ,portrait
 of ,george  ,granville will be         

appreciated4  ,he was the eldest son of 
the same  ,earl ,gower who afterwards in
 his turn became second ,marquess of    
,stafford and then first ,duke of       
,sutherland4  ,he was1 of course1 the   
brother of the tall girl with the       
tambourine in the last picture4    ,by  
his marriage with the lady who was      
,countess of ,sutherland in her  own    
right1 he became a person of vast       
importance and the owner of  enormous   
estates1 which he managed admirably and 
laid the foundation  for the position   
now occupied by his successors4    ,he  
stands quietly before the spectator1    
dressed in a yellow silk  jacket with   
deep lace collar and cuffs1 has a red   
robe thrown over  his shoulders1 and    
bears in his hand his gray hat with     
black feathers4    ,it is well to mark  
the extreme care with which the hand of 
the young  aristocrat is painted1 and   
how expressive it is--perhaps as much as
  the serious and somewhat haughty      
face--of the position and influence  of 

the lad4    ,there is a composure and a 
stateliness in this portrait which are a
  sure index to the mind of the young   
nobleman1 and few painters could  so    
well have represented the mind of his   
sitter as ,romney has done in  this     
work4  ,the child was assuredly father  
to the man1 and thus early  he          
foreshadowed in his features the calm   
dignity1 reserve and power  which in    
after life distinguished him as ,duke4  
,the third portrait is that of his wife1
 generally known as the                 
,countess-,duchess of ,sutherland4      
,elizabeth was the only daughter and    
surviving child of the  seventeenth and 
last ,earl of ,sutherland1 and became1  
on the death of  her father1 ,countess  
in her own right4  ,her mother was a    
great  beauty1 and she inherited all the
 exquisite features and charm of  that  
parent1 who died in the same year as the
 ,earl of ,sutherland1  placing this    
bright girl1 at the tender age of two   
years1 in  possession of the vast       

estates and the title of the earldom4   
,her  beauty attracted the loyalty of   
all her tenants to her1 and ,sir        
,walter ,scott records many a story of  
her charm and kindness4    ,the portrait
 records her appearance soon after she  
was married1 when  somewhat more than   
twenty years of age1 and in the heyday  
of her  sweet and thoughtful beauty4    
,she is dressed in white and gold1 her  
dark brown hair tied with ribbon1 the   
background being foliage and a  distant 
landscape4    ,there is all the effect  
of power1 dignity and determination     
about the  mouth and eyes2 the face is a
 distinct oval1 the form rather thin and
  slight1 and the composure of the      
expression very marked4  ,it is a       
striking portrait of a beautiful girl of
 high lineage and important  position1  
and is a triumph of art as a portrait   
which is at once  lovely in itself and a
 delineation of the mind of the person  
who is  depicted in it4          ,,the  
,,chief ,,works ,,of ,,romney           

,,national ,,gallery1 ,,london4         
,study of ,lady ,hamilton as a          
,bacchante1 about #aghf4  7#cab7    ,the
 ,parson's ,daughter4  ,a portrait4  ,a 
circular bust portrait of a  young lady4
  ,see page #de4  7#ajfh7    ,portraits 
of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,wm4 ,lindow4  ,a     
life-size group4  ,bought in  #ahic4    
,strong in colour1 and more definite and
 hard than is the  artist's usual       
manner4  7#acif7    ,portrait of ,mrs4  
,mark ,currie4  ,a portrait of a lady   
seated on a  terrace4  ,see page #dd4   
,painted in ,may1 #aghi4  ,romney       
received sixty  guineas for this        
picture1 which was bought for a very    
large sum by  the ,trustees from the    
family in #ahig4  7#afea7    ,portrait  
of a ,lady and ,child4  7#affg7         
,,national ,,portrait ,,gallery1        
,,london4    ,portrait of ,wm4 ,cowper1 
the poet4    ,portrait of ,r4           
,cumberland1 the dramatist4    ,portrait
 of ,john ,flaxman1 ,r4,a41 designer and
 sculptor1 represented  modelling the   

bust of his friend ,hayley1 author of   
,the ,triumphs of  ,temper1 whose son1  
,t4 ,a4 ,hayley1 is also introduced as a
 spectator4  ,the son was a pupil of    
,flaxman4    ,portrait of ,lady         
,hamilton4  ,a half-length1 resting her 
elbows on the  table1 and with her face 
turned somewhat to the right4  ,see page
 #dg4    ,portrait of ,james ,harris1   
,m4,p4 for ,christchurch1 a writer of   
treatises on art1 music1 painting and   
poetry1 and of other works4  ,his son   
became ,earl of ,malmesbury4            
,portrait of the artist himself1        
unfinished4  ,it was done in #aghb1 and 
bought at ,miss ,romney's sale in #ahid4
      ,,the ,,wallace ,,gallery1        
,,london4    ,portrait of ,mrs4         
,robinson1 the actress1 in her favourite
 character of  ,perdita4  ,see page #di4
 7#cg7      ,,royal ,,institution1      
,,liverpool4    ,a series of fine       
cartoons by the artist4                 
,,birmingham ,,art ,,gallery    ,a      
portrait of ,lady ,holte4      ,the     

foregoing represent the chief works of  
the artist that are in  public and      
accessible galleries2 but the greatest  
works still remain  in private hands1   
and many of them are from time to time  
exhibited in  ,london and the provinces4
    ,amongst notable collections may be 
mentioned that of the ,duke of          
,sutherland1 in which are the portraits 
of ,elizabeth1 ,duchess of  ,sutherland1
 the second ,marquess of ,stafford1 the 
five children of the  ,earl of          
,sutherland dancing in a ring1 and the  
,countess of ,carlisle4  ,see pages     
#ea-ee4    ,the ,rev4 ,j4 ,w4           
,napier-,clavering also owns some of the
 choicest works  of ,romney1 namely1    
,maria ,margaret ,clavering1 afterwards 
,lady ,napier1  ,colonel ,thomas        
,thornton1 and the delightful group of  
,sir ,thomas  ,clavering and his sister4
  ,see page #de4    ,mr4 ,lockett ,agnew
 owns the portraits of ,miss ,hay1 ,miss
 ,leyborne  ,popham with her dog1 ,miss 
,popham1 ,lady ,mary ,parkhurst and ,mr4

 ,charles  ,parkhurst1 all of them      
important pictures4    ,the ,marquess of
 ,lansdowne has the portraits of ,lord  
,henry ,petty and  of ,lady ,louisa     
,fitzpatrick1 both fine works1 besides  
others of lesser  importance2 and other 
fine portraits belong to ,mr4 ,beebe1   
,mr4 ,r4  ,biddulph ,martin1 who has    
two1 ,sir ,cuthbert ,quilter1 who has   
the  splendid portrait of ,mrs4 ,jordan1
 ,sir ,edward ,newdigate-,newdegate1    
whose portrait of ,lady ,newdigate is   
well known1 and ,mr4 ,makins4    ,other 
portraits belong to ,earl ,granville1   
,lord de ,tabley1 the ,earl of  ,cawdor1
 the ,earl of ,normanton1 ,lord         
,berwick1 ,lord ,thurlow1 and to        
several members of the ,rothschild      
family4          ,,some ,,of ,,the      
,,chief ,,books ,,on ,,romney           
,george ,romney and ,his ,art1 by ,hilda
 ,gamlin1 #ahid4    ,romney and         
,lawrence1 by ,lord ,ronald             
,sutherland-,gower1 #ahhb4    ,memoirs  
of ,lady ,hamilton1 annotated by ,long1 

#ahia4    ,lady ,hamilton1 by ,hilda    
,gamlin1 #ahid4    ,cunningham's        
,painters1 #ahgi4    ,illustrated       
,catalogue of a ,collection of          
,portraits exhibited at  ,birmingham in 
#aijj4    ,memoirs of ,romney1 by       
,hayley1 #ahji4    ,memoirs of ,romney1 
by his son1 the ,rev4 ,john ,romney1    
#ahcj4    ,the ,catalogues of the       
,romney ,exhibition in the ,grafton     
,galleries in  #aijj and #aija1 with    
,notes by ,nash4    ,the ,life of ,mrs4 
,robinson1 by ,molloy1 #ahid4           
,,chronology    #agcd4  ,birth of       
,romney4    #agef4  ,his marriage4      
#ageg4  ,his indenture cancelled4       
#agfb4  ,he starts for ,london4         
#agfc4  ,paints ,the ,death of ,general 
,wolfe for a premium offered by  the    
,society of ,arts4    #agfd4  ,journey  
to ,france4    #aggc4  ,journey to      
,italy1 notably to ,rome4    #agge4     
,settled in ,cavendish ,square4         
#aghb4  ,first met ,mistress ,hart1     
afterwards ,lady ,hamilton4    #agig4   

,removed to ,hampstead4    #agii4       
,returns to his wife4    #ahjb4  ,his   
death4          ,,chiswick ,,press3     
,,charles ,,whittingham ,,and ,,co4     
,,tooks ,,court1 ,,chancery ,,lane1     
,,london4                ,bell's        
,miniature ,series of ,painters4        
,edited by ,g4 ,c4 ,,williamson1        
,litt4,d4      ,pott #hvo1 with #h      
,illustrations1 issued in cloth or in   
limp leather1 with ,photogravure        
frontispiece4      ,,alma ,,tadema4 ,by 
,h4 ,zimmern4    ,,rosa ,,bonheur4 ,by  
,frank ,hird4    ,,botticelli4 ,by ,r4  
,h4 ,hobart ,cust1 ,m4,a4               
,,burne-,,jones4 ,by ,malcolm ,bell4    
,,constable4 ,by ,arthur ,b4            
,chamberlain4    ,,correggio4 ,by       
,leader ,scott4    ,,fra ,,angelico4 ,by
 ,g4 ,c4 ,williamson1 ,litt4,d4         
,,gainsborough4 ,by ,mrs4 ,arthur ,bell4
    ,,greuze4 ,by ,harold ,armitage4    
,,hogarth4 ,by ,g4 ,elliot ,anstruther4 
,,holbein4 ,by ,arthur ,b4 ,chamberlain4
    ,,holman ,,hunt4 ,by ,g4 ,c4        

,williamson1 ,litt4,d4    ,,landseer4   
,by ,mc,dougall ,scott1 ,b4,a4          
,,leighton4 ,by ,g4 ,c4 ,williamson1    
,litt4,d4    ,,leonardo ,,da ,,vinci4   
,by ,r4 ,h4 ,hobart ,cust4              
,,michelangelo4 ,by ,edward ,c4 ,strutt4
    ,,millais4 ,by ,a4 ,lys ,baldry4    
,,millet4 ,by ,edgcumbe ,staley1 ,b4,a4 
,,murillo4 ,by ,g4 ,c4 ,williamson1     
,litt4,d4    ,,raphael4 ,by ,mcdougall  
,scott1 ,b4,a4    ,,rembrandt4 ,by ,hope
 ,rea4    ,,reynolds4 ,by ,rowley       
,cleeve4    ,,romney4 ,by ,rowley       
,cleeve4    ,,rossetti4 ,by ,h4 ,c4     
,marillier4    ,,rubens4 ,by ,hope ,rea4
    ,,titian4 ,by ,hope ,rea4           
,,turner4 ,by ,albinia ,wherry4    ,,van
 ,,dyck4 ,by ,e4 ,r4 ,dibdin 7,in ,the  
,press74    ,,van ,,eyck 7,hubert and   
,jan74 ,by ,p4 ,g4 ,konody4             
,,velazquez4 ,by ,g4 ,c4 ,williamson1   
,litt4,d4    ,,watteau4 ,by ,edgcumbe   
,staley1 ,b4,a4    ,,watts4 ,by ,malcolm
 ,bell4    ,,whistler4 ,by ,mrs4 ,arthur
 ,bell4