James Eckford Lauder (15 August 1811 in

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 ...

– 27 March 1869 in

) was a notable mid- Victorian Scottish artist, famous for both portraits and historical pictures.

Life and work

A younger brother of artist

Robert Scott Lauder Robert Scott Lauder (25 June 1803 – 21 April 1869) was a Scottish artist who described himself as a "historical painter". He was one of the original members of the Royal Scottish Academy. Life and work Lauder was born at Silvermills, Ed ...

, he was born at

Silvermills Silvermills, once an ancient village, has been part of Edinburgh since 1809. The village is most likely to have taken its name from mills erected to smelt and refine silver ore which had been found at Hilderstone in Linlithgowshire in 1607 or, al ...

, Edinburgh, the 5th and youngest son of John Lauder of Silvermills (proprietor of the great tannery there) by his spouse Helen née Tait. Under the guidance and encouragement of his elder brother Robert, an early love of art was rapidly developed. James Eckford Lauder attended

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...

from 1824 to 1828. In 1834 he joined Robert in Italy, and remained there nearly four years. Upon his return to Edinburgh he became an annual contributor to the Exhibitions 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 ...

, and exhibited occasionally at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

in London, where his works attracted much attention. In 1839 he was elected an associate, and in 1846 became full member, of the

entitling him to the postnominals 'RSA' after his name. In 1847 he sent to the competition in Westminster Hall ''The Parable of Forgiveness'' for which he was awarded a premium of two hundred pounds. One of his most successful works, ''The Wise and Foolish Virgins'', was engraved by

Lumb Stocks Lumb Stocks (29 November 1812 – 28 April 1892) was a British engraver. In a long career he produced engravings from paintings by notable artists of the day. Early life Stocks was born at Gawbert Hall, Lightcliffe, near Halifax, Yorkshire, th ...

for the Association for the Promotion of the Fine Arts in Scotland. He never married and died from "exhaustion", at 16 Salisbury Street, Edinburgh. He is buried with his brother in

Warriston Cemetery Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around of land on a slightly sloping si ...

on the eastern edge of the westmost path, towards the south end of the original cemetery. The following are said to be amongst his principal pictures: James Eckford Lauder - James Watt and the Steam Engine- the Dawn of the Nineteenth Century - Google Art Project

James Eckford Lauder - James Watt and the Steam Engine- the Dawn of the Nineteenth Century - Google Art Project

*''

Hagar Hagar, of uncertain origin; ar, هَاجَر, Hājar; grc, Ἁγάρ, Hagár; la, Agar is a biblical woman. According to the Book of Genesis, she was an Egyptian slave, a handmaiden of Sarah (then known as ''Sarai''), whom Sarah gave to he ...

'' *''The Unjust Servant'' (see

Parable of the Unjust Steward The Parable of the Unjust Steward or Parable of the Penitent Steward is a parable of Jesus which appears in . In it, a steward who is about to be fired tries to "curry favor" with his master's debtors by remitting some of their debts. The term "ste ...

) *''The Wise and Foolish Virgins'' *''Scene from

The Two Gentlemen of Verona ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as showing his first tentative steps in laying ...

'' (1841) *''Cherries'' (1842) *''Hop-Scotch'' (1843) *''Night and Day'' (1845) *''Bailie Duncan McWheeble at Breakfast'' (1854) *''

James Watt James Watt (; 30 January 1736 (19 January 1736 OS) – 25 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fun ...

and the Steam Engine'' (1855;

National Gallery of Scotland The Scottish National Gallery (formerly the National Gallery of Scotland) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by Wi ...

, Edinburgh) *''Self-portrait'' *''

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

References

* ''Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers'', edited by George C.Williamson, London 1927, (5 volumes). * ''The Edinburgh Academy Register'', Edinburgh, 1914. * Testaments of John Lauder of Silvermills & Helen Tait, in the

National Archives of Scotland The National Archives of Scotland (NAS) is the previous name of the National Records of Scotland (NRS), and are the national archives of Scotland, based in Edinburgh. The NAS claims to have one of the most varied collection of archives in Europe ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lauder, James Eckford People educated at Edinburgh Academy 19th-century Scottish painters Scottish male painters Scottish portrait painters Artists from Edinburgh 1811 births 1869 deaths Royal Scottish Academicians 19th-century Scottish male artists