page_title: George Barret Sr.
section_title: Philip Medows and Views of Richmond and the Thames
hierarchical_section_title: George Barret Sr. / Life / Philip Medows and Views of Richmond and the Thames
caption_attribution_description: English: The Lodge in Richmond Park, the residence of Philip Meadows Esq.
context_page_description: George Barret Sr. RA was an Irish landscape artist who is best known for his oil paintings, but also sometimes produced watercolours. He left Ireland in 1762 to establish himself as an artist in London and rapidly gained recognition as a leading artist of the period. He exhibited at the Society of Artists of Great Britain and was able to gain patronage from many leading art collectors. Barrett with other leading members left the Society in 1768 to found the Royal Academy, where he continued to exhibit until 1782. Barrett appears to have travelled extensively in England including the Lake District and the Isle of Wight, Wales, and Scotland to undertake commissions for his patrons. Barret suffered from asthma and this caused him to move in 1772 to Westbourne Green, at the time a country village to the west of Paddington. While he earned considerable quantities of money from his paintings, he has been described as being ‘‘feckless’’ with money. He was helped in 1782 by Edmund Burke, with whom he had become friends when Burke attended Trinity College, Dublin.
context_section_description: Another patron of Barret was Philip Medows, who was married to Lady Frances Pierrepont, sister of Evelyn Pierrepont, Duke of Kingston. Medows was the deputy ranger of Richmond Park, a position he held under Sir Robert Walpole, who had been the Ranger of the Park. A print engraved of 1779 by William Watts shows the Richmond Lodge, the residence of William Medows, which suggests that Barret had painted a picture of the building, which is now greatly altered and is known as Thatched House Lodge. Barret also painted numerous views of the River Thames in the area of the Terrace on Richmond Hill, some of which might have been commissioned by Medows. Sir Joshua Reynolds had a house built for himself close to the Terrace.
caption: The Lodge in Richmond Park, engraved by William Watts
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