Named after the Hanoverian Kings George I, George II, George III, and George IV, the Georgian era represents the core of the Starr Collection. In this age of prosperity and military prowess, entrepreneurs and officers extended the empire’s range of control and business around the globe, and miniaturists followed, capturing likenesses of those who capitalized on and helped maintain Britain’s might.
Prior to the late 1760s, there were no professional training programs for miniaturists; thus, many came from trades outside the arts, including Gervase Spencer (1722–1763), who was a footman, and Samuel Cotes (1734–1818), who was a pharmacist. With the opening of William Shipley’s new drawing school, however, a second generation of artists—including John Smart (1741–1811), Richard Crosse (1742–1810), and Richard Cosway (1742–1821)—became professionalized artists, and the field proliferated.
doi: 10.37764/8322.8.1300