Richard Clark (1793–1831), Chamberlain of London (1825–1827)

Lawrence painted Richard Clark, Chamberlain of London, around 1800, depicting a senior official in the City of London's ancient civic administration. The Chamberlain was responsible for the City's finances and the admission of freemen — one of the most important positions in municipal government. Now in the Guildhall Art Gallery, the portrait forms part of the City of London's institutional collection of portraits of its officers, documenting the civic traditions that stretched back to the medieval period.

The Guildhall commission required formal dignity, and Lawrence delivers with a composed, authoritative likeness. The face is warmly modeled with the careful attention to individual features that characterizes Lawrence's best official portraits, while the dark civic costume is handled with efficient restraint.