George Cumberland, painter, engraver, lithographer and writer, was born in 1754 in London. About 1768, he joined the Royal Exchange Assurance Company, and began to take an interest in painting and drawing. Cumberland went to live in the West Country about 1806 and went on numberous sketching trips, recording the appearance of Bristol and its environs. He was actively involved in the bustling artistic life of the city, accompanying professional artists on their trips to likely sketching spots in Leigh Woods or at Stapleton, and often soliciting his friends and acquaintances in London on behalf of Bristol artists.
A collection of watercolours by Cumberland were sold in these Rooms, 11 July 1989, lots 22-48.