John MacWhirter (27 March 1839 in

Slateford Slateford ( gd, Àth na Sglèata) is an area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is east of the Water of Leith. The former village of Slateford lies on the Lanark Road where it crosses the Water of Leith, south west of Slateford Sta ...

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

- 28 January 1911 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

) was a Scottish landscape painter.

Biography

John was the third of four children. One of his elder sisters, Agnes MacWhirter was also a noted artist of still lifes. He attended a school in

Colinton Colinton ( gd, Baile Cholgain) is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated south-west of the city centre. Up until the late 18th century it appears on maps as Collington. It is bordered by Dreghorn to the south and Craiglockhart to the north ...

, and after his father's death was apprenticed to ''Oliver & Boyd'', booksellers in

. He stayed there for only a few months and then in 1851 enrolled at the Trustees Academy under

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, E ...

and John Ballantyne (1815–97). He spent long periods sketching and studying nature outdoors. His first painting to be exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy at age 14, was 'Old Cottage at Braid'. In 1880, he was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Scottish Academy. Exploring and painting abroad he visited Italy, Sicily, Switzerland, Austria, Turkey, Norway and the U.S.A. - the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

being a great inspiration. He moved to London in 1867 and on 4 May 1893 was elected a

Royal Academician 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 ...

] MacWhirter specialised in romantic landscapes with a great fondness for trees, spending much time in the hilly countryside of Perthshire. Initially, under the influence of

John Everett Millais Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest ...

, he experimented with the detailed images of the Pre-Raphaelites, but later adopted a more sweeping style. With

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 a ...

he illustrated ''Wordsworth's Poetry for the Young'' (Strahan, 1863). With Waller H. Paton and others, MacWhirter illustrated ''The Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe'' (Hislop, 1869).

Family

He married Catherine ('Katie') Cowan Menzies (b. 1843) in 1872, her brother-in-law the Rev. James McFarlan officiating. The couple lived at 1 Abbey Road, St. John's Wood in the 1870s, and had two daughters and two sons: #Agnes Helen ('Nan') *1873 who married the artist

Charles Sims Charles Sims may refer to: * Charles Sims (painter) (1873–1928), British painter * Charles Sims (mathematician) (1938–2017), American mathematician * Charles Sims (aviator) (1899–1929), British World War I flying ace * Charles Sims (American ...

#Helen Agnes *1875 x Sydney Malcolm Baird #Ulric George *1878 #Alan Gordon *1882 x Doris May Cook MacWhirter has paintings in several British Collections including

Royal Holloway University of London Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...

, Cheltenham and Derby Art Gallery.

Bibliography

*MacWhirter, Joh
''Landscape Painting in Water-colour''
(London, Cassell), 1900 *Sinclair, W. M
''John MacWhirter, R.A. : his life and work''
(The Art Annual), 1903 *MacWhirter, Joh
''The MacWhirter sketch book''
(Philadelphia, Lippincott), 1907; (London, Cassell), 1908

References

External links

*
Profile on Royal Academy of Arts Collections

includes a transcription of his obituary in ''The Times'' of January 30, 1911 {{DEFAULTSORT:Macwhirter, John 1837 births 1911 deaths Scottish landscape painters Artists from Edinburgh 19th-century Scottish painters Scottish male painters 20th-century Scottish painters Alumni of the Edinburgh College of Art Royal Academicians 19th-century Scottish male artists 20th-century Scottish male artists

Biography

Family

Bibliography

See also

References

External links