George Romney: The Painter of Society George Romney, born on December 26th, 1734, in the small village of Beckside near Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, was a pivotal figure in 18th-century British art. Initially destined for his father’s cabinetmaking business, Romney's innate artistic talent quickly shone through, leading him to pursue painting as a vocation. His early life, marked by a quiet upbringing and a brief apprenticeship with a watchmaker, laid the foundation for his later success as the most fashionable artist of his day – a master portraitist who captured the essence of London’s e…