The grave of Waller Hugh Paton, Grange Cemetery, Edinburgh

Waller Hugh Paton RSA RSW (27 July 1828 – 8 March 1895) was a Scottish landscape artist in the second half of the 19th century.

Early life

Paton was born in Wooer's Alley,

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

, the son of Joseph Neil Paton (1797-1874), a damask designer, and Catherine McDiarmid. His brother and sister,

Joseph Noel Paton Sir Joseph Noel Paton (13 December 1821 – 26 December 1901) was a Scottish artist, illustrator and sculptor. He was also a poet and had an interest in, and knowledge of, Scottish folklore and Celtic legends. Early life He was born in Woo ...

and

Amelia Robertson Hill Amelia Robertson Hill (15 January 1821 – 5 July 1904), birth record Emmilia McDermaid Paton, was a prominent Scottish artist and sculptor throughout the 19th century and one of the few with public commissions. Her most noteworthy works are th ...

(wife of

David Octavius Hill David Octavius Hill (20 May 1802 – 17 May 1870) was a Scottish painter, photographer and arts activist. He formed Hill & Adamson studio with the engineer and photographer Robert Adamson between 1843 and 1847 to pioneer many aspects of pho ...

), were also artists.

Career

In his teens, Paton worked with his father as a damask designer. From age twenty he trained under the mid-19th century artist John Houston (1802–1884) RSA. He was elected an associate 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 ...

(ARSA) in 1857 and became a full member (RSA) in 1865. In 1878 he became a member of the Royal Society of Watercolourists (RSW). In 1858 he and his brother illustrated

William Edmondstoune Aytoun William Edmondstoune Aytoun FRSE (21 June 18134 August 1865) was a Scottish poet, lawyer by training, and professor of rhetoric and belles lettres at the University of Edinburgh. He published poetry, translation, prose fiction, criticism and s ...

's book "Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers", published in 1863. Paton was one of the few of his generation to work "en plain air", the fashion then being to complete landscapes in the comfort of a studio. He enjoyed depicting the countrysides of

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

, and especially the

Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; sco, Isle o Arran; gd, Eilean Arainn) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Historically part of Butesh ...

. His work is typified by rich purple sunsets.

Personal life

From 1859, Paton lived 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 ...

, initially staying with his brother Joseph in his large Georgian townhouse at 37 Drummond Place in the New Town. In 1861 and 1868, he toured the Continent with his friend

Donald MacKenzie Wallace Sir Donald Mackenzie Wallace (11 November 1841 – 10 January 1919) was a Scottish public servant, writer, editor and foreign correspondent of ''The Times'' (London). Early life Donald Mackenzie Wallace was born to Robert Wallace of Boghead, ...

and his brother Joseph. In 1862 he married Margaret Kinloch of Maryculter near Aberdeen. They had four sons and three daughters. In 1875, he moved to 14

George Square, Edinburgh George Square ( gd, Ceàrnag Sheòrais) is a city square in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is in the south of the city centre, adjacent to The Meadows (park), the Meadows. It was laid out in 1766 outside the overcrowded Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town, ...

. The house stood on the north side of the square, facing along the line of houses on the west side. It was demolished in the 20th century. His son

Waller Hubert Paton Waller may refer to: Places in the United States * Waller, Pennsylvania * Waller, Texas * Waller, Washington * Waller County, Texas People * Waller (surname) * nickname of John Walsh (rugby league), English rugby league footballer in the 1960s a ...

(1863-1940) was a sculptor.

Death

Paton died at his home, 14

,Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1870 on 8 March 1895 from pleurisy, which had plagued him for the last 10 years of his life. He is buried in

Grange Cemetery The Grange (originally St Giles' Grange) is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hil ...

in southern

Principal Works

*"The Antique Room, Wooer's Alley, by Firelight" (1848) *"Glen Massen",

(1851) *"

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...

", Government Art Collection (1858) *"Winter Daybreak", McLean Museum and Art Gallery, Inverclyde (1864) *"Lamlash Bay, Isle of Arran",

(1865) *"Entrance to the Cuiraing, Skye",

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 ...

(1873) *"The Border Keep", Welsh National Museum,

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

(1875) *"Cobbles at Sundown, Arrochar",

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

Library *"

Craigmillar Castle Craigmillar Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is south-east of the city centre, on a low hill to the south of the modern suburb of Craigmillar. The Preston family of Craigmillar, the local feudal barons, began build ...

", The Fleming Collection *"Outlet at

Loch Achray Loch Achray is a small freshwater loch west of Callander in Stirling district, Scotland. The loch lies between Loch Katrine and Loch Venachar in the heart of the Trossachs and has an average depth of . History Loch Achray was for a time the ...

, Perthshire",

Fyvie Castle Fyvie Castle is a castle in the village of Fyvie, near Turriff in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. History The earliest parts of Fyvie Castle date from the 13th century – some sources claim it was built in 1211 by William the Lion. Fyvie was the si ...

(NTS) Waller Hugh Paton Lovers in a cornfield.jpg, ''Lovers in a cornfield'' Waller Hugh Paton - Railway Bridge over the River Cart, Paisley - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Railway Bridge over the River Cart, Paisley'' Waller Hugh Paton - 'Entrance to the Cuiraing, Skye'.jpg, ''Entrance to the Cuiraing, Skye'' Dunnottar Castle by Walter Hugh Paton 1867.JPG,

Dunnottar Castle Dunnottar Castle ( gd, Dùn Fhoithear, "fort on the shelving slope") is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a rocky headland on the north-eastern coast of Scotland, about south of Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 1 ...

by Waller Hugh Paton, 1867

References

*Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Waller Hugh Paton *Dictionary of Scottish Art and Architecture, 2004

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paton, Waller Hugh 1828 births 1895 deaths People associated with Edinburgh Scottish artists Royal Scottish Academicians