der the age
required by the laws of the Academy, he was elected as associate when
twenty-two. The year before, he had painted the portraits of the king
and queen; in 1794 he was made Academician, in 1815 was knighted, in
1820 was unanimously elected President of the Royal Academy, and in
1825 was created chevalier of the Legion of Honor in France.

This list of official honors is but little in comparison with the
success which he had socially. Of a charming personality, he was
admitted to the intimacy of all that Europe boasted of aristocracy and
royalty. In 1815 he went to the congress at Aix-la-Chapelle, where his
facile brush portrayed the august features of the allied sovereigns
assembled there. He contributed, from 1787 to 1830 inclusive, three
hundred and eleven pictures to the exhibitions of the Royal Academy.

It goes without saying that production of this quantity cannot be
in every instance of the first quality. But the average merit of
Lawrence's work is nevertheless of a high order. Of feminine charm
(like many of his time and many of his predecessors) he was a master;
no one has ever succeeded better in giving a certain aristocratic
bearing to his sitters than he. It can be accounted a fault that this
becomes somewhat stereotyped--that we feel that, were it wanting in
the person before him, the amiable Sir Thomas could easily supply it.
The English race has not changed so much in the short period which has
elapsed since his time that the demeasurably large and liquid eyes,
the swan-like necks, and the sloping shoulders, which mark it as his
own in Lawrence's work, should be to-day of more rare occurrence. With
this great and important limitation, among the pictures of Lawrence
can be found a certain number of canvases, not always the most
typical, of exceeding merit. Few men have ever conveyed better the
impression of the depth and living quality of an eye, nor have many
painters succeeded in giving to every part of their canvas the same
qualities of color and brilliancy of execution as he.

[Illustration: SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE. AFTER A PAINTING BY CHARLES
LANDSEER.]

[Illustration: MISS BARRON, AFTERWARDS MRS. RAMSEY. FROM A PAINTING BY
SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE.

This picture, owned by R.H. McCormick of Chicago, by whose courtesy it
is here reproduced, represents Lawrence in his least mannered aspect.
The simplicity of young girlhood is well expressed, the head is drawn
and modelled with great subtlety, and