Robert Smirke

Robert Smirke (1753 - 1845) was born the son of an eccentric itinerant painter. When he moved to London in the wake of his father's work at the age of 12, he apprenticed with the carriage painter Bromely. At the age of 20, he was finally accepted for study at the Royal Academy Schools. Later, Smirke was initially a member of the Incorporated Society of Artists, where he exhibited his first works. He did not become a full member of the Royal Academy until 1791, when he exhibited his work "The Widow" there. For his thesis at the Academy, he submitted the work "Don Quixote and Sancho" in 1793.