Birch, the son of an English painter, settled in Philadelphia about 1800, and became one of the better-known artists of his time, being especially famous for his marine subjects. This miniature of Alexander Lawson, the engraver, appears on the verso of the title-page of Lawson's biography of his daughter, Melvina. It is about four inches square, inscription reads: “Alexander Lawson by T. Birch.” It has been reproduced facing page 48 in an article on Lawson's bird engravings in the Auk, vol. 43, 1926, p. 57-61.