Known as ‘Mussel Mou'd Charlie’ from a mussel-shaped extension of his lip, Leslie was an Aberdeenshire ballad-singer who died in 1792, aged 105. A fervent Jacobite, he not only sang songs supporting the cause, but was supposed to have fought in the 1715 and 1745 uprisings. An account by a contemporary of Leslie’s accurately describes how the singer is portrayed in this painting: “He was a remarkable thin made man, about five feet ten inches high, small and fiery eyes, a long chin, reddish hair and since I ever knew him carried a long pike staff a good deal longer than himself, with a large harden bag slung over his shoulders before him, to hold his ballads, and a small pocket covered Bible with a long string at it.”