about 1809

PG 1034

The son of a Glasgow tobacco merchant, Thomas Campbell was a highly regarded poet. His early work was full of promise and he was spoken of alongside Wordsworth and Byron. Despite achieving considerable standing within the establishment, it was felt that he never achieved his full potential as a writer. His friend, Sir Walter Scott said of him: 'the brightness of his early talent is a detriment to all his further efforts. He is afraid of the shadow that his own fame casts before him'. Lawrence drew this delicate pencil portrait when he was working on the oil of Campbell, now in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

• Material: Pencil and watercolour on paper
• Size: 24.40 x 17.60 cm
• National Galleries of Scotland

1824

PG 1985

Wilkie exploited the full potential of chalk in this masterful drawing of the eminent philosopher Dugald Stewart made in 1824. He is shown seated with one arm resting on an open book, as if he's just interrupted his study to allow the artist to capture his likeness. Stewart was born in Edinburgh and pursued his education here and in Glasgow, where he was inspired by Thomas Reid's teaching of philosophy. Stewart succeeded his father in Edinburgh as professor of mathematics before taking the chair of moral philosophy. He was an outstanding exponent of the philosophy of common sense.

• Material: Chalk on paper
• Size: 50.80 x 41.90 cm
• National Galleries of Scotland

1891

PG 631

Doctor, journalist, railway manager and biographer, Samuel Smiles is best known for his enthusiasm for self-improvement. His celebrated book, Self-Help, was published in 1859. A collection of short biographies of great achievers, Self-Help became a standard school prize in Victorian Britain and, for later generations, a symbol of that era's optimistic values.

• Material: Oil on canvas
• Size: 34.30 x 24.80 cm (framed: 57.50 x 48.00 x 5.00 cm)
• National Galleries of Scotland

about 1870

PGP R 205

The mixture of steamboats and sailing ships in this picture gives us a good idea of the thriving trade in Leith during the nineteenth century. Wilson ably recorded the vitality and prosperity of the place in a series of photographs after it was considerably enlarged in the middle of the century. A generous empty space in the foreground puts us right out to sea with the steamboat in the far ground. The silhouettes of the masts thrust up into the sky and the thick dark smoke drifting across are a further demonstration of Wilson's talent for spotting good compositions and shooting contre-jour.

• Material: Albumen print
• Size: 16.3 x 24.2 cm
• National Galleries of Scotland

PGP R 456

Frantic activity is to be observed in this picture, one of the many Wilson produced in the 1880s and 1890s as a record of the fishing industry in Scotland. Herring was caught at night between late July and mid-September up to fifty miles off the eastern coastline. During the day the simple but sturdy boats were tightly packed in the harbour, while the fish, which goes off easily, was rapidly gutted and packed with salt in barrels. This is what a group of female workers is doing in the lower left corner of the picture.

• Material: Albumen print
• Size: 19.3 x 11.8 cm
• National Galleries of Scotland