Born in Cork, Ireland to a silversmith father, Adam Buck painted portrait miniatures from an early age. His works were watercolor on ivory like most of the popular miniatures of his day, but he also drew and worked on paper, especially after moving to London in 1795. Buck painted some more seductive paintings, but when the Duke of York’s mistress wanted to be popular with the people and avoid scandal, Buck turned to painting her and others in very chaste ways, in pastel, watercolor and graphite on paper, working with publishers to circulate his work.
