Brief Biography-James Barry was from Cork. He joined the Dublin Society Figure Drawing School in 1760. In 1764 Edmund Burke, the Irish MP and author, managed to get Barry employment in London with James Athenian Stuart as a draughtsman. A year later, he spent time in Paris before travelling to Rome and becoming a member of the Accademia Clementina, Bologna, in 1770.
When he returned to London, he exhibited at the RA and was a Professor of Painting by 1782. After receiving criticism, he turned from portraiture to history painting and produced a series of significant historical images for the Royal Society of Arts, all without remuneration. In addition, he engaged in printmaking as a means of support. 
In 1799, the RA expelled him due to differences in opinions. He moved to a quiet life in Castle Street East, London, where he spent the remainder of his life. The Society of Arts and the Dublin Society set up a fund for him. He died in 1806, and his remains lay in Saint Paul’s Cathedrals crypt.