John Henry Lorimer (12 August 1856 – 4 November 1936) was a Scottish painter who worked on portraits and

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

scenes of everyday life.

Life

Lorimer was born in Edinburgh, the son of James Lorimer, who was Regius Professor of Public Law at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...

from 1862 to 1890. He was educated at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Stockbridge, is now part of the Senior Scho ...

and in 1875 at the

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

, taught by William McTaggart and George Paul Chalmers. This was followed by a period spent in Paris studying with

Carolus-Duran Charles Auguste Émile Durand, known as Carolus-Duran (4 July 1837 – 17 February 1917), was a French painter and art instructor. He is noted for his stylish depictions of members of Upper class, high society in French Third Republic, Third Rep ...

. His younger brother was the renowned

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Sir

Robert Lorimer Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, Order of the British Empire, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scotland, Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, f ...

, who he sketched and painted throughout his life along with his sisters. Lorimer's first portrait was of his mother Hannah, completed in 1875 when he was 19 years old. Lorimer travelled throughout Spain, Italy and Algiers between 1877 and 1891. He exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy from 1873 and at the

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

from 1878. Significant amongst his works are ''The Ordination of Elders in a Scottish Kirk'', which hangs in the

National Gallery of Scotland The National (formerly the Scottish National Gallery) 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 William Henry Playfa ...

, ''Spring Moonlight,'' which hangs in Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery and was the favourite painting of the readers of the local newspaper The Fife Free Press, and ''Kellie Castle Garden'', which was sold at auction in 2000 for £32,900. His portraits include those of Lyon Playfair,

Joseph Lister Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, (5 April 1827 – 10 February 1912) was a British surgeon, medical scientist, experimental pathologist and pioneer of aseptic, antiseptic surgery and preventive healthcare. Joseph Lister revolutionised the Sur ...

, Peter Hately Waddell and Frederick Guthrie Tait. Lorimer was elected an associate of the

in 1882 and made a full academician in 1900. He showed 123 works at the Royal Scottish Academy and 43 works at the Royal Academy in London. In 1878, the Lorimer family acquired the lease of Kellie Castle in

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

and began its restoration for use as a holiday home. Many of Lorimer's paintings included Kellie Castle as a subject or as a setting; his studio was in one of the towers and looked out over the garden. Kellie Castle became the permanent family home, after purchase in 1948 by Robert Lorimer's son, the

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Hew Lorimer. The castle is owned today by the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland () is a Scottish Building preservation and conservation trusts in the UK, conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organisation in Scotland and describes itself as "the charity that cares for, sha ...

who maintain a changing exhibition of his works, plus those of his brother, Robert Lorimer and nephew, Hew Lorimer. In later life, he lived at 1 Bruntsfield Crescent in Edinburgh in a large house remodelled by his brother

who also lived there together with their sister Louise Lorimer. The artist Robert Gibb lived next door at 2 Bruntsfield Crescent at that time. He was a vice-president of the Edinburgh Astronomical Association (now known as the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh) and left a bequest to them on his death. The Lorimer Medal of the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh is now awarded in his name, the first being presented to

Sir James Jeans Sir James Hopwood Jeans (11 September 1877 – 16 September 1946) was an English physicist, mathematician and an astronomer. He served as a secretary of the Royal Society from 1919 to 1929, and was the president of the Royal Astronomical Soci ...

in 1937.The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh, Lorimer Medal https://www.astronomyedinburgh.org/about-us/lorimer-medal/ John Henry Lorimer died at Gyles House, Pittenweem, Fife, on 4 November 1936. He is buried with his parents and siblings in the family grave in the extreme south-west corner of the remote Newburn Churchyard in rural

Notes

External links

John Henry Lorimer on the Gazetteer for Scotland

Biography on National Gallery for Scotland
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lorimer, John Henry 1856 births 1936 deaths 19th-century Scottish painters Scottish male painters 20th-century Scottish painters Artists from Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish portrait painters People educated at Edinburgh Academy 19th-century Scottish male artists 20th-century Scottish male artists