Sir Thomas Lawrence was the foremost British portrait painter of his age and his paintings epitomised the Regency style. His early life was spent in Bristol and Bath where, as an infant prodigy, he was drawing remarkable pencil likenesses at the age of 10. In 1787 Lawrence came to London where he attended the Royal Academy Schools for 3 months. He exhibited his first oil portrait at the Royal Academy in 1788 but it was his full length portrait of Queen Charlotte which was exhibited in 1790 that established his reputation as the finest portrait painter in the new romantic style.

Lawrence succeeded Sir Joshua Reynolds as Painter in Ordinary to the King in 1792. At this time he painted several historical and religious pictures such as "Satan Summoning his Legions" however the demand for his Society portraits left him little time to pursue this theme.

His reputation was further enhanced when he was commissioned by the Prince Regent to paint all the principal characters in the downfall of Napoleon, which became the great series of portraits now hanging in the in the Waterloo Chamber at Windsor.

Lawrence exhibited at the Royal Academy up until his death in 1830 and became President of the Academy in 1820.

Museums where examples of the artist's work can be found include:
Amsterdam, Budapest, Dublin, Hanover, Liverpool, London (National Gallery, Wallace collection and National Portrait Gallery), Munich, Paris (Louvre), Versailles and Windsor.