John Taylor was 99 years of age when he died in London in 1838. Known as Old Taylor he was a pupil of Francis Hayman before starting out on his on drawing pencil portraits in small. He was an accomplished artist and his work was described as 'clear and pure as monumental alabaster', exquisitely finished. He was an original member of the Incorporated Society of Arts , precursor to the Royal Academy. His work is highly sought after and prices vary hugely, but due to the lack of extant work his reputation remains dormant. It is greatly to our detriment that he never considered publishing a volume of memoirs; he was a fine raconteur with a wide circle of friends.

These two drawings are signed and dated 1775. The same lady sitter appeared on the market, many moons ago, in almost the exact same pose; she was catalogued as Mrs Carter but we have no evidence for this identity.