He was born in Dalton-in-Furness[?], Lancashire, and apprenticed to his father as a cabinet maker. In 1755 he went to Kendal[?] to learn painting, and within two years was becoming well known as a portraitist. In 1762, by which time he was married with two children, he went to London, where he soon had a thriving enterprise and was engaged to paint the portraits of many famous people, including Emma Hamilton. He did not return to his family in Kendal[?] until 1798.
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