Many sources say he was the son of a painter George Henry Moreland, but in fact his parents were Thomas and Elizabeth Morland.
Henry Robert was born on 6.10.1716 and baptised on 20.11.1716 in Westminster.
He is next mentioned in documents when he was apprenticed to the minor portrait painter and Kneller copyist Isaac Whood of Bloomsbury on 21.9.1732 for 7 years at 40 pounds per annum.
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| Das Waschermadel |
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| Laundry Maid Ironing 1765 |
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| Woman Ironing 1782 |
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| Laundry Maid Ironing 1785 |
By 1753 he was established as a painter in oil and crayons of portraits and genre pictures, as well as being "a maker of most excellent crayons, which went by his name. He was also a dealer, restorer and forger. Despite notable success, he was declared bankrupt in 1762 (London Gazette, 23.1.1762).
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| The connoisseur 1840 |
He appeared in directories as a portrait painter from 1763 and continued to exhibit pastels at the Society of Artists (1760-1783) and the Royal Academy (1771-1781), including portraits and genre pictures of domestic servants.
Research links
Its About Time
Colonial Quills
A polarbears tale
Aprosagok Csetreszek Regisegek
World Visit Guide
Pastelists (PDF)