The gifted son of the parish minister of Cults in Fife, David Wilkie went on to become one of the greatest artists of the nineteenth century, noted for his mastery of light and colour and for his naturalistic approach to his subjects. Moving to London in 1805, he quickly established himself as one of the most brilliant and innovative artists in Regency Britain. Joseph's posthumous bust shows the artist as a young man; the slightly parted lips and distant gaze giving the portrait an idealised quality. Joseph lived in Edinburgh between 1821 and 1829. He was a founder member of the Royal Scottish Academy; some of the RSA's earliest meetings were held in Joseph's Edinburgh studio in Windsor Street.