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An engraving of Morland published by John Raphael Smith that may be from a sketch by Morland himself.

An engraving of Morland published in 1805 by William Ward after a portrait by Robert Muller.

George Morland was born on June 26, 1763 in London to Henry Robert Morland and Jenny Lacam. He was educated at home, and showed an early talent for copying pictures. A child prodigy, he first exhibited chalk drawings in 1773 at the age of ten at the Royal Academy of Arts, and went on to apprentice in 1777 as an artist to his father. George worked for his father copying all sorts of paintings, but especially those of Dutch and Flemish masters. His reputation began to grow when a painting of his own titled The Angler's Repast was engraved in 1780 by his future brother-in-law William Ward, and published by John Raphael Smith. He then began exhibiting in 1781 at the Royal Academy of Art, and continued to exhibit there right up until his death. He also began exhibiting the following year at the Free Society of Artists, showing 26 works there over the years.

When his apprenticeship with his father came to an end, Morland in 1784 entered the Royal Academy Schools, but left after only six months to paint for an art dealer. He also painted portraits on commission, and made a short visit in 1785 to northern France. Returning to London in 1786 he married Anne Ward, the sister of his engraver William Ward. Just a few months later, Ward married Morland's sister Maria. This brought Morland into frequent contact with William and Anne's younger brother James Ward, who was only a boy at the time, but was destined to be a great painter also. The two were friends at first, but their relationship became strained when Ward tired of Morland's fondness for a chosen lifestyle of drunkeness and debauchery.

Morland by the late 1780s had become known as an extremely prolific and immensely talented painter of traditional subjects featuring small groups of people relaxing and engaged in conversation. However, these gradually gave way to scenes of village and country life, with lively groups of people at the cottage, inn or stable. He also painted hunting scenes, coastal landscapes with smugglers and fishermen, and wooded landscapes with backgrounds of storm clouds. Many of his pictures depicted animals, including horses, pigs, donkeys, and dogs, among others. In all about 250 engravings of his works were made during his lifetime, including several done by his brother-in-law William Ward.

Though Morland's work during his lifetime was always in great demand, he lived extravagantly and acquired a reputation for recklessness and hard drinking. He also chose companions who enjoyed the same excesses, which resulted in his being shunned by family, and many former friends from his youth Despite his prolific output of work, estimated at close four thousand paintings during his lifetime, he was so far into debt by 1789 that he had to hide from creditors. Nonetheless, his best paintings were executed from 1790 to 1794, which included The Inside of a Stable, a barnyard scene that is on display today at the Tate Museum in London, and is generally regarded as his finest work.

Morland was warned in 1793 by a physician of the dangers of his life of excess when mixed with hard work, but he paid little heed. After he made a visit in 1799 to the Isle of Wight, he was arrested upon his return for failure to pay his debts. His stature as an artist spared him debtor's prison, but he had to "live within the rules of the prison" at his home until 1802 when his sentence ended. During this time, his home became a rendeveous for the lowest of company, and he is said to have been drunk for days at a time. His health streadily deteriorated after his release, and though his work greatly declined in output and quality, his paintings were still accepted for exhibitions at the Academy and elsewhere. Worn out by debauchery, he died on October 19, 1804 of "brain fever" at a sponging-house, which is a place of temporary confinement for debtors, where they were "sponged" of any money they had, before being transferred to debtor's prison. His wife Anne, whom he had left years before, was nonetheless heartbroken when told of his passing, and died just three days later.Wikipedia Article

 

George Morland displayed his work from 1781 to 1804 (104 paintings total) at the Royal Academy of Art (38 paintings), as well as with the Free Society of Artists (33 paintings) until its 1783 demise, and another 33 paintings with the Society of Artists before its 1791 demise -- the latter two exhibitions being predecessors that were eventually eclipsed by the Royal Academy.

Today, several hundred examples of his work can be seen in museums and public art galleries all over the world, an extensive list of which is given online in ArtCyclopedia. Many of his works on public display in Britain are included on the Art UK website. A partial list of a few major venues is given below.

Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
• Metrolpoiltan Museum of Art, New York
• Huntington Library, Los Angeles
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh
• National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
• National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
• Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.
• Tate Museum, London
• Victoria and Albert Museum, London