BARRET, George

1767 - 1842

George Barret was born at Orchard Street, off Portman Square, London in 1767, son of Irish born artist George Barret (c1732-29 May 1784), a Royal Academician and a picture dealer, and his wife Frances née Percy who married in Dublin in 1757. Young George lived at Orchard Street with his parents and siblings, James, Joseph, and Mary who all became artists. He was taught by his father but exhibited little before 1800 and his professional life seems to have been a struggle from its beginning and certainly his father was in financial difficulties in 1770/1. Little is known of his early years, but he always seems to have lived in Paddington, London and travelled little, finding many of his subjects in the Thames Valley and the Home Counties, but with a few in Wales. He gave up topographical landscapes for romantic compositions, such as ‘Retirement of the Weary Traveller’. During the 1820s and 1830s several of his works were engraved for the Annuals. One of the original members of the ‘Old’ Society of Painters in Water Colours, now the Royal Watercolour Society which was founded in 1804 where he exhibited prolifically, never missing an exhibition for 38 years. He also exhibited at the Royal Academy and 'An Original Drawing' by the late G. Barret, jun. was exhibited at the Suffolk Fine Arts Association held at Ipswich in 1850. George Barret died at Paddington on 19 March 1842 and buried in St Mary's Paddington churchyard.




Royal Academy Exhibits
from 17 Devonshire Place, Edgeware Road, Paddington
1821 15 Evening

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Works by This Artist