George Morland

1763 - 1804

Morland was born in London. His early life was tumultuous, with controversial accounts of his father imprisoning his son to produce forgeries of Dutch and Flemish paintings for his own profit. When he escaped his father's house he was further exploited by an art dealer in the same fashion. Eventually he established himself as a painter of animal subjects and rustic genre. His early work was influenced by Francis Wheatley but after the 1790s he came into own style. He enjoyed significant success in his later life and was well known for his wild living in London. His career was cut short by his arrest for debt and the subsequent loss of use of his left hand due to palsy, which he contracted in prison. Despite this, he continued to paint until his death in 1804 at the age of 41.