Biography:

Was born in Dublin, about 1747, of French descent. He was a pupil of James Mannin in the Dublin Society's School and gained a premium in 1764. For some time he worked as an artist in Dublin and enjoyed a considerable reputation as a teacher. About 1770 he went to London and three years later, in 1773, he set up a drawing-academy in James's Street, Golden Square, and in 1777 had a similar academy at 24 St. Alban's Street, Pall Mall. As "James Barralet" he exhibited three tinted drawings, "A Storm," "Sunset" and "Ruins," in the Royal Academy in 1770, two of classical subjects and two views of Garrick's House at Hampton in 1771, and a whole-length drawing of a Gentleman, and two classical subjects in 1772; and as "John James Barralet," in 1773 "A Managed Horse," and in 1776 two subjects from Beaumont and Fletcher, and "A Woman Bathing." He was awarded a gold palette by the Society of Arts in 1774 for a "View of Brentford from Kew." Landscapes and small subject pieces by him were in the exhibitions of the Society of Artists from 1773 to 1780; he was elected a Fellow in 1777, and in the same year had six landscapes in chalk in the "Exhibition, or Grand Museum, of Arts and Sciences in the Great Room, Royal Exchange, Strand." Pasquin says that "he drew landscapes in Italian chalk in which he affected to imitate Vernet." Barralet returned to Dublin in 1779 and was appointed as temporary master in the Dublin Society's school during the illness of James Mannin. On the latter's death the same year Barralet competed, unsuccessfully, for the vacant post. He remained in Dublin for some years, residing at 22 South Cumberland Street, and later at Ballsbridge, and was employed in making drawings for such important books as Grose's "Antiquities of Ireland," Milton's "Views," etc. He accompanied Gabriel Beranger (q.v.) in an antiquarian tour through Wicklow and Wexford in 1780, and exhibited four drawings that year at the Society of Artists in William Street. He painted some scenery for the Crow Street Theatre in 1782 and was also engaged with Richard Hand (q.v.) in glass-staining. In 1795 he left Ireland and went to America, settling in Philadelphia where he found employment as a book illustrator. He exhibited drawings at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, including one of "The First Landing of Columbus," which was much praised. A bust portrait of Alexander Wilson, author of "American Ornithology," was drawn and engraved by him: Entered according to Act of Congress, Nov. 1814 by J. J. Barralet of the State of Penn^a. His name also appears on R. Field's engraving of Walter Robertson's portrait of Washington in 1795. He is said to have invented, or first introduced into America, a ruling machine for the use of engravers, and to have made improvements in the ink used for copper-plate printing. Barralet died in Philadelphia on 16 January, 1815. He was an eccentric man, irritable and passionate; a great snuff-taker, and dirty and untidy in his dress. He was lame from a dislocation of the head of the thigh-bone. In Philadelphia he lived, as a widower, with two children in part of a house without any servant.