Robert Burns's 'Highland Mary' was written in 1792. Thomas Stothard was a celebrated illustrator of novels, poetry and songs and his work was enormously appealing. Here, he shows Burns with his `Highland Mary?, or Mary Campbell. She and Burns had a love affair in 1786, and Burns wrote about their love. This watercolour evokes lines from the second verse: "How sweetly bloom?d the gay, green birk,/ How rich the hawthorn?s blossom,/ As underneath their fragrant shade,/ I clasp?d her to my bosom!".
Thomas Stothard (English, 1755 - 1834)
Born in 1755, Stothard he entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1777 where he began long-term friendships with John Flaxman and William Blake. It was during this time at the Royal Academy that Stothard began producing illustrations for books, which was to become one of the most important and enduring aspects of his career. He illustrated some of the most well-loved books of the day, including the stories of Ossian, Burns, Chaucer and Defoe. Although book illustration was to be his most lucrative and steady income, he also made oil paintings and undertook some decorative work. In 1822 he painted the dome of the Advocate?s Library in Edinburgh. He held the position of librarian at the Royal Academy from 1812, until his death in 1834.
