The Gentle Shepherd was Allan’s most ambitious print project, including 12 illustrations in etching and aquatint. Allan Ramsay’s popular poem was first published in 1725. It tells the story of Patie, a poor but virtuous shepherd, who falls in love with Peggy, a shepherdess. Allan dedicated his edition to the leading history painter Gavin Hamilton (1723–1798). He used the dedication to set out his artistic manifesto, arguing the merit of ‘the just representation of ordinary life’.