Born in Bishopsgate Street, London, Taylor was the son of an officer in the customs.
[1] Known for highly finished portraits in pencil, Taylor was from 1779 an intermittent exhibitor at the Royal Academy.
Later in life he saved money by teaching in London, with the support of John Alexander Gresse and Paul Sandby.
[1][2] Taylor died in Cirencester Place, Marylebone, London, on 21 November 1838, in his ninety-ninth year.
He was a friend of the sculptor Joseph Nollekens, who made a bust of him, and left him a legacy in his will.