Born St Ninian, nr Stirling, died Edinburgh. Painter of the genre, historical scenes and landscape. Apprenticed to a bookseller in Stirling with whom he remained until 1824. Then went to Edinburgh and studied at the Trustees Academy under Sir William Allan. Opinion is divided over his qualities but undoubtedly his work as a landscape and genre painter is rather different from his heavier religious subjects. He was much affected by Sir Walter Scott; although not a member of the national church he was a keen sympathiser with a reaction against the moderation of the 18th century to the more evangelical tenets of the preceding period. Illustrated Scottish life in a greater variety of its aspects than any other member of the School. He had little training, ‘the ardour of a contemplative and imaginative spirit struggling with limited technical knowledge’.



Painter of genre, historical scenes and landscape. His place in Scottish art is as an important link in the tradition of genre painting between Wilkie’s generation and exponents of more accurate pictorial representation of whom Thomas Faed was the major figure.