George Romney

Born in 1734 among the fells of Cumberland, George grew up on his father’s modest farm, where the older man’s skill with mahogany furniture sparked the boy’s curiosity. He preferred sketchbooks to school lessons, even building a fiddle that stayed with him for life. After a brief stint at school, his father moved him to the workshop, but George spent his spare time copying magazine illustrations. An itinerant painter, Steele, recognized his promise and took him on as an apprentice, teaching him the basics of mixing pigments and preparing palettes.

A night of scandal and fever followed when Steele helped a young couple elope, leaving George ill and under the care of a servant, Mary Abbott, whom he soon married. Returning home, he opened a small studio, painting signboards, local portraits, and occasional landscapes sold through a town‑hall lottery. The modest earnings allowed him and his wife to save enough to pursue a larger stage, and in March 1762 he set off for London with only a few pounds and great hope.