, Thomas Lawrence, to Joseph Farington, Charlotte Street

To
Joseph Farington Esqr
Charlotte Street

April 27 _ 1807
Greek St, Monday Morning

My Dear Friend

I send you Cobbett and hope
for the pleasure of seeing you tomorrow
or rather I depend upon it. it is
our fix’d Day.
The Ministry you find are
acting with the wisest vigour in
this Dissolution of the Parliament
which in questionably will add greatly
to their strength. The People are

, Thomas Lawrence, to Joseph Farington, Charlotte Street

now with them.
Pray who is J. B? the Initials
in the Artist _ not Barnard?
Mr Landseer has just sent me
his Book. He seems to write
with some clearness and spirit but
I see makes that same attack on
the Academy which I hope it will
always deserve viz: the not admitting
Engravers to be Academicians His

argument is that Engraving is no
more dependant on Painting than
English is on Greek which just
expresses Ideas in another Language
Let then Engravers give us
their own Compositions in their
own Language We m ay then
be enabled to decide the matter
Pray come early

Ever with the
most faithful regard
My dear Friend
Yours
T: Lawrence

Thomas Lawrence, to Joseph Farington, Charlotte Street

RA Collection: Archive

Reference code

LAW/1/154

Title

Thomas Lawrence, to Joseph Farington, Charlotte Street

Date

[27 Apr 1807]

Level

Item

Extent & medium

1 piece

Content Description

Comments upon dissolution of Parliament; he has received Landseer's book, which attacks the Academy for not admitting engravers; Lawrence argues for engravers to submit their own designs for them to judge.

Bibliography

Partly published in Letter-Bag, Layard, 1906, p.44.