Jane Watts born Jane Waldie (1793 – 1826) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

artist and author.Jane Watts
ODNB, Retrieved 5 October 2016

Life

Waldie was born in 1793, the daughter of George and Ann (born Ormston) Waldie of Hendersyde Park,

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...

. Her elder sister,

Charlotte Anne Eaton Charlotte Anne Eaton (1788–1859), Waldie, was an English banker, travel writer, memoirist and novelist. Life Born on 28 September 1788, she was second daughter of George Waldie of Hendersyde Park, Roxburghshire, by his wife Ann, eldest daug ...

, was also a writer and artist. Waldie painted local scenery and studied under

Alexander Nasmyth Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants li ...

. In September 1816 her brother John, her sister Charlotte and herself went abroad and returned the following August. In the October she married George Augustus Watts of Langton Grange near

Staindrop Staindrop is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated approximately north east of Barnard Castle, on the A688 road. According to the 2011 UK Census the population was 1,310, this includes the hamlets of Cleatlam an ...

. She and her sister, Charlotte, wrote an account of their visit to Belgium in 1815 which was published in 1817 under the title of ''Narrative of a Residence in Belgium, during the Campaign of 1815, and of a Visit to the Field of Waterloo.'' She wrote a four volume account of her travels before her marriage titled ''Sketches descriptive of Italy in 1816–17; with a brief Account of Travels in various parts of France and Switzerland''. The figures in some of her paintings were by Sir

Robert Ker Porter Sir Robert Ker Porter, KCH (1777–1842) was a Scottish artist, author, diplomat and traveller. Known today for his accounts of his travels in Russia, Spain, and Persia, he was one of the earliest panorama painters in Britain, was appointed hi ...

, but she exhibited in her own name at

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

in 1819 a painting titled ''The Temple at Pæstum''. She died on 5 July 1826 shortly after her child. The painter

Robert Edmonstone Robert Edmonstone RSA (1794–1834), was a Scottish artist. Life Edmonstone, was born at Kelso in 1794, the son of James and Catherine Edmonstone.Details from parents grave He was initially apprenticed to a watchmaker. He showed a taste for pai ...

was asked to create a portrait of her which he did based on miniatures made whilst she was alive. Her husband took 28 pictures by her from Hendersyde Park where there was also a portrait of her made whilst she was in her twenties.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Jane 1793 births 1826 deaths 19th-century Scottish painters 19th-century Scottish women artists People from Staindrop Sibling artists