early life and education charles shirreff, a deaf scottish painter, specializing in portrait miniatures, was born in either 1749 or 1750. his father, alexander shirreff, was a wealthy wine merchant of south leith in edinburgh. at the age of three or four, shirreff became deaf and mute. in 1760, his father approached thomas braidwood, owner of a school of mathematics in edinburgh, seeking an education for the boy, then ten years old, in the hope that he could be taught to write. career highlights * at the age of 18, in august 1769, shirreff left braidwood's academy to study art in london at th…