Sir John Lavery (1856–1941) was a painter from Northern Ireland best known for his portraits and wartime depictions. He was orphaned young and went to live with relatives in Moira. He began his career in Glasgow. In the 1880s he studied art in Paris. He painted a huge range of subject matter from royal portraits to landscapes and seascapes. In 1912 he was commissioned to paint the Royal family. In the 1930s he returned to Ireland and received honorary doctorates from the University of Dublin and Queens University, Belfast. He had become a well-known and respected artist. In 1930, he was the first artist to receive the Freedom of Belfast.