George Freeman (artist)

He was well-respected in his day, receiving aristocratic and even royal patronage in the U.K. Freeman was born in Spring Hill, Connecticut, on 21 April 1789.

[1][2] He was the son of a farmer, but as a sickly child he was more interested in reading and sketching than agricultural work, and in 1808 he moved with his sister and brother-in-law to Albany as he pursued a career as a painter.

[3] Some sources state that he moved to London in 1813, and he studied miniature painting there and in Paris, but he is also recorded as seeking work in Montreal in 1816.

[4][5][6][3][7] Freeman specialized in miniature portraits—typically comparable in size to a modern 4x6 inch photographic print, often small enough to be held in a locket or brooch, and usually (but not always) painted onto either porcelain or ivory rather than canvas.

[8][7] Letters written by both Freeman and his wife to family back home in the U.S. describe a successful career with a number of aristocratic clients, and an impressive reputation which made him one of the few artists whom members of the British Royal Family would pose for.