William Wilson was a stained-glass maker, painter and printmaker of great distinction. He began his training with the Edinburgh stained-glass maker James Ballantyne, before entering Edinburgh College of Art, where he studied print-making under Adam Bruce Thomson. He travelled on a scholarship across Europe before continuing his studies at the Royal College of Art in London. Wilson designed stained glass windows for Canterbury Cathedral, Brechin Cathedral and numerous churches. The painter and master printmaker Ian Fleming was a close friend of Wilson. He conveys a sense of melancholy in this portrait – perhaps because he knew that Wilson was gradually becoming blind as a result of diabetes.