JACKSON, JOHN, R.A., was born in 1778 at Lastingliam, in York shire, where his father carried on the business of a tailor, and be was himself bred to tho same business. He however hated his occupa tion; he had seen the collection of Lord Mulgrave, and the pictures at Castle Howard, and ho had a strong inclination to become a painter. An attempt which he made to Imitate n picture by Reynolds was thown by his schoolmaster to Lord Islulgrave, who perceiving iu it and others, notwithstanding their crudeness, some talent, supplied Jackson with proper materials, and encouraged him to go on. Lord Mulgrave and Sir George Beaumont purchased the two years of Jackson's unexpired apprenticeship, and Sir George, in 1797, gave him an allowance of 501. per annum, and an apartment in his house in town, to enable him to prosecute his studies at the Royal Academy.
Jackson soon obtained a name for his portraits in black-lead pencil and water-colours, but it took him many years to equal the successful oil-painters of that day. He first attracted notice in this department about 1806, and in 1817, when he was elected a member of tho Royal Academy, his reputation was little inferior to that of Lawrence, though he was comparatively little patronised; his portraits were bold and effective, but they wanted the delicacy of the works of Lawrence. Jackson could paint five heads while Lawrence was painting one. In the summer of 1819 be visited limo in company with Chantrey, and painted for him there a portrait of Canova. Jackson astonished the Roman painters, says Cunningham, by copying in four days the Borg bees Titian of 'Sacred and Profane Love, as it is called—a picture which many Romans required two or throe months to copy : Pasaavant I says, the figure of 'Divine Love,' in three days, wbioh is more likely; the rest of the picture is scarcely worth copying. Jackson was elected
a member of the Academy of St. Luke, at Rome. Ile was in all his works extraordinarily rapid and sure. A story is related, that ho com menced and finished in a single summer's day, as a wager, the portraits of five gentlemen : be received 25 guineas for each of thorn-125 guineas in one day; probably no painter ever earned as much by his own labour before. The story is told by Passavant. Jackson died at his house in St. John's Weed on June 1, 1831. Ilia best works are the portraits of Lady Dover, of Flaxman, and of himself, both painted for Lord Dover, and the portrait already mentioned of Canova. Ile painted in all the portraits of thirteen of his fellow academicians, but that of Flaxman is in all respects the best : it is indeed one of the finest portraits in the world.
Jackson exhibited in all, at the Royal Academy, between the years 1804 and 1830, 145 pictures; ho of course painted very many portraits that were not exhibited, for he was latterly constantly employed. His nominal price for a bead was fifty guineas, and though he must have been making a large income, he di, d without leaving a provision for his family. Ile was twice married ; his second wife, who survived him, was the daughter of his fellow-academician, Ward.
(Cunningham, Lives of British Painters, &c. ; Passavant, Kunstrcise durch England, &c.)