Thomas Duncan
Rev. Thomas Chalmers, 1780 - 1847. Preacher and social reformer
1840By the early nineteenth-century, the old system of parish poor relief could no longer cope with the population growth and bitter poverty in the cities. A large social underclass emerged with little or no ties to the conventional church networks. When rural preacher Thomas Chalmers arrived in Glasgow in 1815 he was shocked. He designed a social experiment in St John’s parish, which aimed to recreate the community spirit of a rural parish community within a large industrial city. Chalmers made charity a neighbourly responsibility and encouraged the poor to become independent by working hard. Despite achieving some success, many remained poor. Not long after, the new Scottish Poor Law of 1845 introduced a system whereby local taxes could be raised to fund poor relief.
- Glossary (3 terms)
- Open
History painting
Paintings in which the subject is taken from biblical, classical or other mythological histories.
Jacobite
Jacobitism was a movement to restore the descendants of the Stuart King James VII and II to the British throne. The first claimant, Prince James Francis Edward (known as 'the Old Pretender') was exiled first in France, then Italy, from where he planned unsuccessful attempts to claim the throne. His son Prince Charles Edward (known as 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' or 'the Young Pretender') famously invaded Britain in 1745, but after some military successes was finally defeated at Culloden in 1746.
Trustees' Academy
The Trustees? Academy was founded in Edinburgh in 1760 by the Board of Trustees for the Improvement of Fisheries and Manufactures in Scotland. This was the earliest publicly funded art school in Britain, but during the early years it was essentially an elementary drawing school dedicated to applied design. The students included practical craftsmen as well as fine artists. The school gradually developed more facilities for advanced fine art education, including a plaster cast collection. In 1826, it relocated to a new building on The Mound, which was erected by the Board. The Trustees? Academy was reformed in 1858, using the well established government Schools of Design in London as its model, and was the direct ancestor of Edinburgh College of Art, established in 1907.
- Credits Presented by Mrs Gilbert Hole 1940
- Medium Oil on canvas
- Size 128.00 x 102.00 cm (framed: 165.60 x 139.00 x 12.50 cm)
