He was the son of Stephen and Judith Slaughter, was baptised in London, and had the artist
Judith Lewis as a sister. Slaughter studied under
Godfrey Kneller from 1712. There followed a long period abroad, in France and
Flanders. Returning in 1732–1733 to London, Slaughter then set up in
Dublin during 1734, paying a longer visit in the 1740s. Slaughter influenced in particular
Thomas Frye, as did
James Latham. In 1745, Slaughter became
Surveyor of the King's Pictures, in succession to Peter Walton. ==Portraits==