Early Life and Artistic Foundations Sir Peter Francis Bourgeois, a name perhaps less immediately recognizable than some of his contemporaries, occupies a fascinating niche in the annals of British art history. Born in London in November 1753 – though Royal Academy records suggest 1756 – his early life was marked by a degree of instability. The son of Isaac Emanuel Bourgeois, a Swiss watchmaker who had emigrated to England, and Elizabe…