Captain Robert Banks

Captain Banks (b.1734) was living in South Scales, Walney, when he sat for this portrait. The background shows the view of Black Combe and the Duddon estuary which could be seen from the Romney family home at Upper Cocken.

This is a typical example of Romney’s early portrait style before he left Kendal to become one of the most sought-after painters in London. According to family tradition, the portrait was left behind in the care of a servant when the Banks family left Walney because “it was only painted by George Romney, the joiner”.