Portrait of Miss Dorothy Long (1703-1758)

John Vanderbank, an English painter of considerable repute during the early 18th century, was born into a family deeply entrenched in the arts on 9 September 1694 in London. His father, John Vanderbank Snr, a Huguenot immigrant from Paris, was a prominent tapestry weaver and the proprietor of the Soho Tapestry Manufactory, serving as Yeoman Arras-maker to the Great Wardrobe. This artistic lineage provided Vanderbank with a rich foundation in the arts, initially under his father's tutelage before advancing his studies with Jonathan Richardson and later under Sir Godfrey Kneller at his Great Queen Street academy. Vanderbank's talent flourished, leading him to establish his own academy in 1720, following a period of study under Sir James Thornhill. Despite his artistic prowess, Vanderbank's career was marred by personal struggles, including intemperance and financial mismanagement, which George Vertue noted as the primary obstacles to his achieving greater acclaim. His lifestyle choices precipitated repeated financial difficulties and contributed to his untimely death at the age of 45 on 23 December 1739. Vanderbank's legacy, however, remains significant, with his work reflecting the transition in English portraiture during the reigns of George I and George II. His younger brother, Moses Vanderbank, also pursued a career in the arts, albeit with a more modest output, continuing the family's artistic tradition.