George Anderson Lawson (1832–1904) by Thomas Alexander Ferguson Graham (1840–1906)

George Anderson Lawson (

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

1832 – 23 September 1904) was a British

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edward ...

sculptor who was associated with the

New Sculpture New Sculpture was a movement in late 19th-century British sculpture with an emphasis on naturalistic poses and spiritual subjects. The movement was characterised by the production of free-standing statues and statuettes of 'ideal' figures from po ...

movement.

Life

He was born at Edinburgh in 1832, the son of David Lawson and Anne Campbell. He was educated at George Heriot's Hospital. He trained under Alexander Handyside Ritchie, and in the schools of the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...

. Lawson travelled to study in Rome, becoming an admirer of John Gibson. Back in England, he lived initially in Liverpool, making work in terracotta. His reputation was established through the creation of statues of distinguished citizens. His first major work was the statue of the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister o ...

at the top of Wellington's Column in the centre of Liverpool at the end of William Brown Street. He also created the relief sculpture depicting Wellington's major victory at Waterloo. The monument was completed "towards the end of 1865 when George Lawson's relief panel of the final battle at Waterloo was fixed in place on the pedestal". He moved to London in 1866. He later created the memorial to

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who ha ...

in Ayr, inaugurated in 1892. Other versions were circulated to Dublin, Melbourne, Montreal, Winnipeg, Halifax and elsewhere. Other memorials include those to James Arthur (

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

), Joseph Pease (

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington under ...

), John Vaughan (

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

) and John Biggs ( Leicester). In New Zealand, he commemorated

William Sefton Moorhouse William Sefton Moorhouse ( 1825 – 15 September 1881) was a British-born New Zealand politician. He was the second Superintendent of Canterbury Province. Early life Moorhouse was born in Yorkshire, England, and baptised on 18 December 1825; th ...

in Christchurch. He is also remembered for his classical friezes, especially reliefs for Glasgow City Chambers, George Square, and panels for the Municipal Buildings, Bath. The art critic

Marion Spielmann Marion Harry Alexander Spielmann ( London, 22 May 1858 – 1948) was a prolific Victorian art critic and scholar who was the editor of '' The Connoisseur'' and '' Magazine of Art''. Among his voluminous output, he wrote a history of '' Punch ...

described his work as "strong, manly and artistic". Elizabeth Prettejohn, ''After the Pre-Raphaelites: Art and Aestheticism in Victorian England'', Manchester University Press, 1999, p.243 Lawson was elected an Honorary Academician of the

(HRSA) in 1884. He died at

Richmond, Surrey Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Commiss ...

, on 23 September 1904.

Family

On 28 August 1862, he married Jane Frier of Edinburgh.

Gallery

File:Portrait of George A. Lawson - Thomas Alexander Ferguson Graham - ABDAG002463.jpg, ''Portrait of George A. Lawson'' by Thomas Alexander Ferguson Graham (1882),

Aberdeen Art Gallery Aberdeen Art Gallery is the main visual arts exhibition space in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1884 in a building designed by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie, with a sculpture court added in 1905. In 1900, it received the art ...

File:Statue of a motherless girl and her father. George Anderson Lawson, 19th century. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, UK.jpg, Statue of a motherless girl and her father. George Anderson Lawson, 19th century. The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, UK File:WilliamSeftonMoorhouseStatue gobeirne.jpg, William Sefton Moorhouse File:Wellingtons Column Closeup.jpg, Wellington's Column, Liverpool File:Wellington Column Liverpool 2.jpg, Relief on Wellington's Column File:Burns statue, Ayr - geograph.org.uk - 43193.jpg, Burns, Ayr File:Burns lighter.jpg, Burns statue in

Victoria Park, Halifax Victoria Park is an urban park on Spring Garden Road in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, across from the Halifax Public Gardens. The North British Society erected various monuments and statues: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and William Alexan ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

File:John Pettie by George Anderson Lawson, SNPG.JPG, Portrait bust of

John Pettie John Pettie ( Edinburgh 17 March 1839 – 21 February 1893 Hastings) was a painter from Edinburgh who spent most of his career in London. He became a member of the Royal Academy in 1866 and a full academician in 1874. As an enthusiastic ...

File:Motherless Monument, Homewood Cemetery, Pittsburgh, PA - March 2016.JPG, ''Motherless'' (1897),

Homewood Cemetery Homewood Cemetery is a historic urban cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Point Breeze and is bordered by Frick Park, the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, and the smaller Smithfield Cemetery. It was established in ...

, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

References

External links

George Anderson Lawson (1832-1904)Joseph Pease statue
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson, George Anderson Scottish sculptors Scottish male sculptors 1832 births 1904 deaths Artists from Edinburgh People educated at George Heriot's School