BiographyEdward Bird (1772-1819) was apprenticed to Henry Clay at the age of 13 in 1785. He then moved to Bristol in 1794 to pursue his artistic career. There, as a genre and history painter, he became the leader of a group of artists known as the Bristol School. He became better known when appointed history painter to Priness Charlotte in 1813 and was elected a member of the Royal Academy in 1815.