2-871-268 - Shirley Markham Collection/Heritage Images

Mr. Bannister and Miss Orser, c1780-1825. 'John Bannister was born at Deptford [London], May 12, 1760. He was the son of Charles Bannister, noted English actor, and became famous as a great comedian in his own right. His first appearance was in 1778 at the Haymarket Theater as "Dick" in Murphy's farce, The Apprentice. He was known for his great powers of mimicking other actors. It will be remembered that Bannister first met Rowlandson at Dr. Barrow's Soho Academy. They remained close friends all their lives. They studied together at the Royal Academy, where Bannister showed talent in painting, but later he abandoned art for the stage'. From "The Watercolour Drawings of Thomas Rowlandson from the Albert H. Wiggin Collection in the Boston Public Library" with commentary by Arthur W. Heintzelman. [Watson-Guptill Publications, Inc., New York, 1947]