Benjamin Robert Haydon (1786-1846), an English historical painter and author, was a studious child who had an immediate affinity for art but was not encouraged by his family to pursue this interest. He persevered and began solitary studies and eventually became a student at the Royal Academy. He thought one of his early paintings wasn't displayed to advantage by the Royal Academy, and thus his life-long struggles with the Royal Academy began. To counter the Academy, he sought to have the government support artists and encourage the study of art for all.

In 1808, Haydon began his diary (currently housed at Harvard University), which is infamous for its candidness in revealing his idiosyncrasies. He kept up his diary until the day of his death.

Many of Haydon's paintings were religious: Joseph and Mary Resting on the Road to Egypt, The Judgement of Solomon, Christ's Entry into Jerusalem, and The Raising of Lazarus; but he also painted portraits as well as paintings with political themes, such as The Mock Election and The Meeting of the Unions on Newhall Hill, Birmingham. Denatus and Marcus Curtius Leaping into the Gulf are examples of his work with a Roman theme. He was particularly interested in attaining accuracy in anatomy and the appropriate dress of his subjects.

Haydon was active in civic, social and artistic circles. He was well acquainted with literary figures of the day including John Keats, William Wordsworth, Charles Lamb, and William Hazlitt and included their likenesses, as well as those of others he knew, in his paintings. Haydon also went on tours to deliver lectures on art.

Lack of income was usually a concern to Haydon and his family and led to many difficulties, including several imprisonments for debt. Many of his friends, including the Leigh brothers, tried to help him financially.

In the end, with his debts overwhelming him, he took his own life after making a final entry in his diary.