John Jackson

Yorkshire-born John Jackson was the son of a village tailor. Always proficient in drawing, at the age of nineteen he established himself in York as a painter of miniature portraits. He came to the attention of the Earl of Carlisle who employed him to copy some of the works in his collection. In 1804, Jackson moved to London. He began studying at the Royal Academy schools and by 1807 had established himself as a portrait painter specialising in watercolour portraits. He became an associate of the Royal Academy in 1816 and was elected an academician two years later.

Text © National Portrait Gallery, London