About this artwork

Elizabeth Hamilton was a writer whose most successful novel ' The Cottagers of Glenburnie' (1808) drew on her knowledge of life in rural central Scotland. She was very interested in advancing education for women, and helped to found the Female House of Industry in Edinburgh. Raeburn's portrait suggests that we are engaged in a friendly conversation with Mrs Hamilton. She seems to have paused in mid-sentence, with her lips slightly parted, as she absent-mindedly plays with a snuff box

Updated before 2020

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Sir Henry Raeburn

Sir Henry Raeburn