Born in Belfast and a student in Glasgow John Lavery had a massive impact on the British art world very early in his career. His pieces were noted for lacking narrative but having an abundance of energy. It was this characteristic style that led Lavery to become primarily a portraitist, painting some of the most famous people in the world at the time, including Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He lived over forty years in this sleepy street opposite the Natural History Museum in Kensington.
