Biography
Born
1822
Died
1891
Nationality
Scottish
Birth place
Edinburgh
Death place
Newburgh
A self-taught painter, William Fettes Douglas worked as a bank clerk in Edinburgh for ten years. He was a keen antiquarian and collector, and his interests in those fields influenced his choice of subject matter which sometimes included alchemy, astrology and magic. Enormously learned, he was appointed Director of the National Galleries of Scotland in 1877 and five years later, President of the Royal Scottish Academy.