Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Lane, Samuel
LANE, SAMUEL (1780–1859), portrait-painter, son of Samuel and Elizabeth Lane, was born at King's Lynn on 26 July 1780. In consequence of an accident which he met with in childhood he became deaf and partially dumb. He studied under Joseph Farington [q.v.], R.A., and afterwards under Sir Thomas Lawrence, who employed him as one of his chief assistants. Lane first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1804, and, securing a large practice, was a constant contributor or more than fifty years, sending in all 217 works; these included portraits of Lord George Bentinck (for the Lynn guildhall); Lord de Saumarez (for the United Service Club); Sir George Pollock and Sir John Malcolm (for the Oriental Club); Charles, fifth duke of Richmond; C. J. Blomfield, bishop of London; Thomas Clarkson (for the Wisbech town-hall); Sir Philip P. V. Broke, bart. (for the East Suffolk Hospital); T. W. Coke, M.P., afterwards Earl of Leicester (for the Norwich Corn Exchange); Luke Hansard (for the Stationers’ Company); Thomas Telford. Edmond Wodehouse, M.P., and other prominent persons. Lane owed his success to the matter-of-fact truthfulness of his likenesses, which in other respects have little merit; many of them have been well engraved by C. Turner, S. W. Reynolds, W. Ward, and others. Lane resided in London (at 60 Greek Street, Soho) until 1853, and then retired to Ipswich, whence he sent his last contribution to the Academy in 1857. He died at Ipswich on 29 July 1859.
[Redgrave's Dict. of Artists; Grave's Dict. of Artist's, 1750-1880; Segier's Dict. of Painters; Royal Academy, Catalogues.]