Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816), in royal blue coat with brass buttons, yellow waistcoat, white cravat, powdered hair; red curtain and pillar background

Richard Brinsley Sheridan was first known for his association with the Drury Lane Theatre, London, and his play The Rivals which was performed in 1775. Part-owner and director of the theatre, he used it as a forum to satirize fashionable society and highlight hypocrisy and materialism. Some years later he moved in to politics and became friends with Charles James Fox, whose political beliefs he admired and supported, including his opposition to the American war. He held various positions of office, including Secretary of the Treasury (1783), and member of the Privy Council (1806). He is also known to have been a close friend of the Prince Regent. In 1813 Sheridan was arrested and imprisoned for debt and he died three years later.