David Roberts
(1796-1864), PainterSitter in 13 portraits
At the age of ten Roberts was apprenticed for seven years to an Edinburgh house painter, spending his evenings studying art. On completing his apprenticeship he began painting theatrical scenery. In 1822 the Edinburgh Fine Arts Institution accepted three of his paintings for exhibition; shortly afterwards he moved to London and began work at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He continued both scenery and easel painting until 1830, when his success exhibiting and selling the latter allowed him to become a full-time artist. For the rest of his life Roberts travelled widely in Europe and the Far East and used the sketches he made on these trips as source material for his highly successful and popular paintings.
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