Thomas Robinson, 2nd Baron Grantham, served in a multitude of positions within British government. He became a member of parliament for Christchurch, Hampshire in 1761 and was made secretary of the British Embassy to the Congress of Augsburg in the same year. In 1766, he was appointed as a commissioner of Trade and Plantation, and went on to become First Commissioner between 1780 and 1782, Vice Chamberlain of the Household and Privy Councilor in 1770, and Ambassador in Madres from 1771 to 1779. He was Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1782 to 1783, and conducted the preliminary negotiations for peace in France. In 1780, he married Lady Mary Jemima Yorke, and had two sons, Thomas Philip, who became 3rd Baron Grantham, and Frederick John, who would later become Earl of Ripon. According to Horace Walpole, Robinson was "...a very agreeable, pleasing man." (Walpole, Letters, VIII, 258). He died in 1786 at Grantham House in Surrey.

Born in Lancashire, England, Romney was first apprenticed to his father, a cabinet-maker, and was poised to follow in the family trade. In 1755, he decided to move to Kendal to study painting with Cumberland artist Christopher Steele. By 1757, Romney was fast becoming the leading portrait artist of the day.

In 1762, Romney left his young wife and two children and moved to London to focus solely on his painting, particularly portraits and historical subjects. He exhibited "The Death of General Wolfe" in 1763 at the Royal Society of Arts with great success. Obviously an artist of the Academy's caliber, he was never asked, nor did he ever petition to join the institution.

In 1773, Romney went to Rome and Parma with fellow artist Ozias Humphry to study Italian art. It was on this journey that the transformation of his draughtsmanship of the human form gained a renewed vitality that was expressed in his compositions from this point forward in his career. Upon his return to England, Romney opened a studio in Cavendish Square to re-establish his portrait practice. Between 1776 and 1795, the artist recorded painting some 1500 sitters, including the fascinating figure of Emma Hamilton (then known as Emma Hart) who became his muse.

After a nearly 40-year absence, Romney returned to Kendal to his unquestioning wife and family in 1798. His works are now counted as the greatest portraits of the 18th century and can be found in the most prestigious art collections in the world.