Thomas Lawrence

Mr (later Sir) Thomas Lawrence rose from humble beginnings to become the first portrait painter of the age. The nobility and gentry alike patronised his studio and so it was inevitable that in 1814 Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell — the foremost magicians of the age — together sat for their portrait to him.

Mr Norrell made a nervous and fidgetty sitter, and Lawrence was at a loss to discover what so disturbed him until enlightened by Mr Strange - it was Mr Norrell's continuing anxiety about the safety of his books (the portrait was being painted in the library of Mr Norrell's house in London). A full account of this amusing episode is in Recollections of Sir Thomas Lawrence during an intimacy of nearly thirty years [35].

The fate of the portrait itself is unknown however as it was removed from its place in Mr Norrell's library after his breach with Strange. For further information on Sir Thomas Lawrence consult the wikipedia article available here.