Background
The son of a trooper in the Horse Guards, he was born in London about 1752.
The son of a trooper in the Horse Guards, he was born in London about 1752.
At first he studied engraving, for which he received a premium in 1767 from the Society of Arts. Later he took up painting and became a pupil of John Hamilton Mortimer, and a student of the Royal Academy.
He was of weak constitution and deformed in figure. Bad health affected his work, and he worked for booksellers, and taught in schools. He died on 13 October 1798, at his house in what was then the New Road, Marylebone.