John Shore was born on the 8th of October 1751 the son of Thomas Shore a supercargo (shipping supervisor) in the service of the East India Company. John was educated at Harrow and went out to India as a writer in the Bengal. He joined the Civil Service in 1769 was swiftly promoted and became a loyal and lifelong friend of Warren Hastings. Shore was made a member of the Supreme Council (1787-89) and was an effective administrator despite being considered over attentive to regulations. He assisted Lord Cornwallis in introducing many reforms. On the retirement of Cornwallis Shore was appointed Governor General in September 1792 and created a baronet a month later. He sought a policy of non-interference but deposed Wazir Ali for whom he substituted Saadat Ali as Nawab of Oudh. His term of office was also notable for a mutiny of the officers of the Indian army which Shore met with concessions. He was created Baron Teignmouth in the peerage of Ireland upon his resignation and return to London in 1798. He was appointed member of the Board of Control (1807-28) and was for many years president of the British and Foreign Bible Society. In addition he was a keen philanthropist a modest poet and a zealous evangelist. Shore married Charlotte Cornish (1759-1834). He died on the 14th of February 1834 and was succeeded to the title by his son Charles John (1796-1885).

Devis produced six portraits of the Shore family between 1797 and 1817. Devis had flourished in India from 1785-1795 despite stiff competition from Johann Zoffany and Thomas Hickey. He was paid the remarkable sum of £2,530 for his portrait of Lord Cornwallis in 1793 (approximately £250 000 in today s terms) but he was destined nonetheless to die destitute and apoplectic in 1822 aged sixty.