Thomas Earnshaw (1749-1829).

Thomas Earnshaw (1749-1829). © National Maritime Museum, London

Repro ID: BHC2674

Description: Earnshaw was a London watchmaker who improved and simplified George Graham's clock at the Greenwich Observatory. He devised the spring detent chronometer escapement in 1782, and was one of the competitors for the discovery of the means of finding correct longitude in 1793 and though unsuccessful, he was the first who made chronometers that were so simple and cheap that they became within the reach of private people of moderate means. Earnshaw's chronometers were also described in a publication by the Commissioners of Longitude in 1806. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1798 and several copies were made. Shee was born in Dublin and studied there. He settled in London in 1788 and his working life spanned the Regency and early Victorian periods. His early work, of which this is an example, shows a strong debt to Hoppner and Lawrence. He succeeded Lawrence as President of the Royal Academy in 1830.

Creator: Sir Martin Archer Shee

Date: c. 1798

Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London