This diary, the sixth of sixteen volumes, written by the artist Joseph Farington between 1793 and his death in 1821 provides an excellent insight into daily life in the London art community at the end of the eighteenth century.

Farington's diary is an invaluable source for this period, primarily due to his meticulous recording of events ranging from various dinners, the weather, and meetings of the Royal Academy to his own commissions for numerous publications and wider European events. This volume, coupled with the above events also demonstrates Farington's interest in the rise of Napoleon; he included several newspaper clippings and made numerous entries regarding events in France in the early nineteenth century. This diary also contains a poignant entry by Farington on the date of his wife Susan's death on 24 February 1800 and further entries which clearly illustrate his grief and struggle to come to terms with the loss.

Farington initially intended his diary to be destroyed following his death but a change of heart meant that only the most controversial elements were removed, particularly details about the financial troubles of his elder brother William and some comments regarding his acquaintances. These wishes were partly carried out by his brother, Richard Atherton Farington, following his death in 1821.