HARLOW, GEORGE HENRY, was born in London in 1787. He WWI the only son of his parents ; his father, who was a merchant, died while he was an infant, and he was brought up by his mother, who watched with interest and anxiety the early development of her aon'a talent for drawing. He was educated for a few years at Westminster School, but when about sixteen he was placed with a Flemiah landscape painter of the name of De Cort, whom he left for Mr. Drnmmond, A.R.A., the portrait-painter; and he was finally placed in the studio of Sir Thomas (then Mr.) Lawrence, in Greek Street, with the privilege of copying pictures there from nine until four o'clock, but with an especial proviso that he should receive "no inatruction of any kind ;" for this privilege he paid one hundred guineas per annum. At the expiration however of a year and a half the master and pupil quarrelled. Law rence need to employ Harlow to dead-colour, and Harlow had so far a share in painting a much-admired dog in a portrait of Mrs. Angerstein that, at the Angentein's, he had the imprudence to claim it as his own. This came of course to the ears of Lawrence, who in consequence dis mimed his pupil. Harlow has the credit of having revenged Lawrence's resentment by painting a caricature of his style upon a sign-board at Epsom, in one corner of which he wrote, ' T. L, Greek Street, Soho.' Harlow however had perhaps no great need of auch assistance or instruction as he would be likely to obtain from Lawrence ; ho pos sessed a fine feeling for colour, a tolerably correct eye for form, and great facility of execution, especially in portraiture in small, whether in pencil, crayons, or oil-colours. He never studied at the Royal Academy : he profaned to consider study in schools and academies as SO much time spent in the destruction of originality. His first picture
of note was ' Hubert and Prince Arthur,' but he painted few historical pieces ; the most celebrated of them is the 'Trial of Queen Catherine,' of which the principal characters were portraits of the Kemble family; Mrs. Siddons as Queen Catherine. Harlow painted many portraits, of which the best is certainly that of Fuseli, a work in every respect of great merit, painted for Mr. Knowles, Fuseli's biographer. The portraits of Northcote and Nollekens are also among his best works. Having already obtained a considerable reputation and some means, Harlow set out in June 1818 upon a visit to Rome, where he attracted great notice and excited some wonderment by completing an effective copy of the Tratisfiguratioo; by ltaffaelle, in eighteen days. Canova was much pleased with it, and told Harlow that it looked like the work of eighteen weeks ; he exhibited one of Harlow's pictures at his house, and it procured him his election as a member of the Academy of St. Luke, where it was also exhibited. Harlow before he left London was a candidate for the degree of associate in the Royal Academy, but he had only one vote, that of Fusell. He died in London on the 4th of February 1819 in the thirty-second year of his age, and shortly after his return from Italy. He was elected a member of the Academy of Florence on his passage home through that city. His biographers describe him as having been frivolous iu character and prodigal in his habits: he was however little more than a youth when he died.