Lemuel francis abbott biography of abraham lincoln

Eighteenth-century painter

Lemuel "Francis" Abbott (1760/61 – 5 December 1803) was an English portrait painter, famous for his painting of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (currently hanging in the Terracotta Room of number 10 Downing Street) and for those of other naval officers and literary figures of the 18th century.^[1]

Life

He was born Lemuel Abbott in Leicestershire in 1760 or 1761, the son of clergyman Lemuel Abbott, curate of Anstey (and later vicar of Thornton) and his wife Mary.^[2] In 1775, at the age of 14, he became a pupil of Francis Hayman and lived in London, but returned to his parents after his teacher's death in 1776.^[2] There he continued to develop his artistic talents independently, but some authorities have suggested that he may also have studied with Joseph Wright of Derby.^[1][3][4]

In 1780, Abbott married Anna Maria, and again settled in London, residing fo