John Linnell

A leading physician by profession, Dr Monro is best remembered for the integral role he played in the development of British art at the turn of the 18^th and 19^th centuries. A collector and amateur artist himself, during winter evenings, he would open up his home – first in Bedford Square and then famously at no. 8 Adelphi Terrace – to young artists. These up-and-coming painters, who included, amongst many others, John and Cornelius Varley, Peter de Wint, John Sell Cotman, Thomas Girtin and Joseph Mallord William Turner, found themselves with a convivial place to meet and with access to his extensive collections. By December 1794 the Royal Academician and diarist Joseph Farington (1747-1821) described the house as being ‘like an Academy’.

John Linnell was part of his ‘academy’ in the early years of the 19^th century and he went on to become one of the most successful painters of his generation.