Samuel Shelley (1750-1808) was an English miniaturist and watercolour painter.
Largely self-educated, Samuel Shelley was a leading miniaturist, i.e., painter of portrait miniatures, of his time, ranking with Cosway, Smart, and Crosse. In addition to his portraits, he also painted in water-colours fancy figures and compositions from Shakespeare, Tasso, and other poets. His water-colours and miniatures were engraved by Bartolozzi, William Nutter, Caroline Watson, and others. In 1804 Shelley joined with W. F. Wells, Robert Hills, W. H. Pyne, and six other artists to found the Watercolour Society (afterwards known as the "Old" society), of which he was treasurer until 1807,[1]