Brief Biography-John Downman, the portraitist, is assumed to have been born in Wales because of his close ties with Wrexham. His daughter was married and died in Wrexham. There is, however, speculation he was born in Devonshire but is considered a Welsh artist. In 1769, he attended the Royal Academy Schools, and in 1795 he became an Associate. He studied with  Benjamin West for a short time, and in 1773 he voyaged to Italy with Joseph Wright of Derby for two years. In 1777, he concentrated on portrait painting in Cambridge before moving to London, where he stayed for several years. His marriage was to the daughter of the composer William Jackson of Exeter, the organist at Exeter Cathedral. He spent time in Plymouth, Exeter, and Chester before settling in Wrexham in 1819, where he died in 1824. His portraits are of interest to this day because of the notes he sometimes wrote regarding the sitters. He would occasionally note their occupation, how they would have behaved, and the date and place of execution.