1808 - joined British merchant service. 1812 - pressed into Royal Navy. 1816 - theatrical scenery painter. 1826 - proprietors of Drury Lane presented him with a silver testimonial following efforts for the theatre. 1828 - father of George Clarkson Stanfield. 1836 - painted the Battle of Trafalgar. 1837 - met Charles Dickens and began illustrating his books. 1847 - moved to Hampstead Heath. 1857 - Dickens dedicated Little Dorrit to him.