John Barnard was the son of the city financier and politician Sir John Barnard, whose fortune he inherited and spent on amassing an important collection of drawings and prints. Barnard's posthumous sale of drawings took place at Greenwood's, London 16-24 February 1787 (848 lots) and of prints at Thomas Philipe, London 16 April-16 May 1798 (2619 lots).
