This is one of a series of portraits by John Ballantyne showing his fellow artists at work. The painter depicted here is Sir George Harvey, President of the Royal Scottish Academy from 1864 until his death. Harvey was best known for his historical scenes, particularly those depicting events from the religious struggles of the Covenanters in seventeenth-century Scotland. Here, the tartan, sword and bible on the floor suggest Harvey is working on just such a picture whilst in the background his famous painting 'The Covenanters' Communion' (National Gallery of Scotland) rests on the floor behind him.