Biography

John Shackleton was Principal Painter in Ordinary to both George II (1683-1760) and his grandson George III (1738–1820). He was appointed to the post in 1749 and continued to paint portraits of the king and queen until 1765, even though he had been succeeded by Allan Ramsay (1713-1784) as the official royal painter in 1761. Shackleton was on the committee that in 1755 first proposed a royal academy in London. Three years later he was elected a member of the ‘Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce’ (later the RSA) and between 1763-6 he exhibited at the Free Society of Artists.