Editing Thomas Lawrence (section)

=== Childhood and early career ===
[[File:The Bear Hotel - geograph.org.uk - 4579356.jpg|thumb|[[Bear Hotel, Devizes|The Bear Hotel]], [[Devizes]]]]
Lawrence was born at 6 Redcross Street, [[Bristol]], the youngest surviving child of Thomas Lawrence, a supervisor of [[excise]], and Lucy Read, a clergyman's daughter from [[Tenbury Wells]] in [[Worcestershire]].<ref>Levey p.30</ref> They had 16 children, but only five survived infancy: Lawrence's brother Andrew became a clergyman; William had a career in the army; and sisters Lucy and Anne married a solicitor and a clergyman (Lawrence's nephews included [[Andrew Bloxam]]). Soon after Thomas was born, his father decided to become an innkeeper and took over the White Lion Inn and next-door American Coffee House in [[Broad Street, Bristol|Broad Street]], Bristol. But the venture did not prosper, and in 1773 Lawrence senior removed his family from Bristol and took over the tenancy of the Black Bear Inn in Devizes,<ref group=note>The Black Bear is still a hotel.</ref> a favourite stopping place for the London gentry making their annual trip to take the waters at Bath.<ref>Goldring 1951: 28</ref>

[[File:MariaLinley.jpg|thumb|An early pastel portrait of [[Maria Linley#Life|Maria Linley]]]]
It was during the family's six-year stay at the Black Bear Inn that Lawrence senior began to make use of his son's precocious talents for drawing and reciting poetry. Visitors would be greeted with the words "Gentlemen, here's my son—will you have him recite from the poets, or take your portraits?" Among those who listened to a recitation from Tom, or Tommy as he was called, was actor [[David Garrick]].<ref>Goldring 1951: 35</ref> 

Lawrence's formal schooling was limited to two years at The Fort, a school in Bristol, when he was six to eight; and a little tuition in French and Latin from a dissenting minister.<ref>Goldring 1951: 29</ref> He also became accomplished in dancing, fencing, boxing and billiards.<ref>Annual Review 1830</ref> By age ten his fame had spread sufficiently for him to receive a mention in [[Daines Barrington]]'s ''Miscellanies'' as "without the most distant instruction from anyone, capable of copying historical pictures in a masterly style".<ref>Goldring 1951: 40</ref> But once again Lawrence senior failed as a landlord; in 1779, he was declared bankrupt and the family moved to [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]]. From this point on, Lawrence supported his parents with his portrait work.

The family settled at 2 Alfred Street in Bath, and the young Lawrence established himself as a portraitist in [[pastel]]s. His oval portraits, for which he was soon charging three guineas, were about 12&nbsp;inches by 10&nbsp;inches (30 by 25 centimetres), and usually portrayed a half-length. His sitters included [[Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire|the Duchess of Devonshire]], [[Sarah Siddons]], [[Sir Henry Harpur, 6th Baronet|Sir Henry Harpur]] (of [[Calke Abbey]], Derbyshire, who offered to send Lawrence to Italy, but Lawrence senior refused to part with his son), [[Warren Hastings]], and [[Elijah Impey|Sir Elijah Impey]].<ref>Levey 2005: 49–59</ref> Talented, charming and attractive (and surprisingly modest) Lawrence was popular with Bath residents and visitors. Artists [[William Hoare]] and Mary Hartley gave him encouragement.<ref>Levey 2005: 43</ref> Wealthy people allowed him to study their collections of paintings, and Lawrence's drawing of a copy of [[Raffaello Santi|Raphael's]] ''Transfiguration'' was awarded a [[silver-gilt]] palette and a prize of 5 guineas by the Society of Arts in London.<ref>Levey 2005: 56</ref>