Henry Perronet Briggs

In 1811, Durham-born Briggs moved to London to train in the Royal Academy Schools. From 1813 he settled for a while in Cambridge, working as a portrait painter for the University colleges. Returning to London, Briggs forged a career as a historical painter, working in the style of Reynolds. For the final ten years of his life, however, he returned to portrait painting. From 1814 until his death, he exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and at the British Institution.

Text © National Portrait Gallery, London