Richard Crosse, miniture painter

Richard Crosse, the son of John and Mary Crosse, was born at Knowle, near Cullompton, on 24 April 1742 (1). He was born deaf and mute. His skills as a miniature painter were soon recognised and in the late 1750s he moved to London. Here he took lessons at William Shipley’s new drawing school, the first such drawing school in London, where his fellow pupils included Richard Cosway and John Smart.