LAWRENCE, Sir TITOMAS, president of the royal academy, was b. at Bristol in 1769, and at the early age of ten years entered on the profession of a portrait-painter in Cray ons, at Oxford, where he immediately obtained full employment. There is on engrav ing which bears to have been "directed by I. K. Sherwin," the celebrated engraver, of a portrait of the young artist; it is dedicated in the following terms: "To the nobility and gentry in general, and the university of Oxford in particular, who have so liberally countenanced his pencil, this portrait of Master Lawrence is inscribed by their most devoted and most grateful servant, T. Lawrence, senior." It was published by Law rence, senior, at Bath, June 18, 1783, along with a print of Mrs. Siddons in the character of "Zara," drawn by Master Lawrence, and engraved by J. R. Smith. The young artist next set up at Bath, where he met with great encouragement; and, at the age of 18, set tled in London, and entered as at student of the royal academy, having a year previously taken to painting in oil. His success was-extrao•dinary; in 1791, before he attained the age required by the laws of the academy, he was elected a supplemental associate by desire of the king; on Reynolds's death a year afterwards. was appointed limner to his
majesty; was made a royal academician in 1798; knighted in 1815; and on Benjamin West's death in 1826, succeeded him as president of the royal academy. Be died in London, Jan. 7, 1880. Lawrence was the favorite po•trait-painter of his time. had an immense practice, and obtained larger prices for his works than were ever paid to any previous portrait-painter. His talent as a painter was doubtless overrated during his life, but justice has scarcely been done to it of late years; for Ids style, though in many respects meretricious, was greatly influenced by the fashion and chess of the 'period, and in time to come, impressions of the principal characters who figured during the regency, and in the reign of George IV., will be taken mainly from his works. His portraits in the Waterloo gallery at Windsor are of the greatest historical value. He Wits a man of great urbanity and fine taste, and left a most valuable collection of drawings by the old masters, now unfortunately broken up. See Life and Correspondence of Sir T Lawrence, by Williams (1831); and Cunningham's LireS of British Painters (1833).