About this artwork
This scene shows a group of friends celebrating the birthday of James Hogg, the writer nicknamed 'the Ettrick Shepherd'. The gathering includes the artistic and literary elite of Scottish society. John Wilson (Christopher North), the author and moral philosoher, raises a toast to Hogg, who is swaying back on his chair at the left of the group. Next to Hogg, leaning on the table, is Sir Walter Scott. The setting is Hogg's house at Eltrive, and includes some beautifully observed details of a domestic interior in the early nineteenth century.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Sir William Allan (1782 - 1850) Scottish
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title:The Celebration of the Birthday of James Hogg, 1770 - 1835
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date created:1823/5
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materials:Oil on panel
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measurements:61.00 x 82.50 cm; Framed: 75.20 x 98.20 x 7.40 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased with Art Fund support, 1998
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accession number:PG 3136
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Sir William Allan
Sir William Allan
Born in Edinburgh, Allan was apprenticed to a coach painter before studying at the Trustees' Academy in the city from 1799; David Wilkie was a fellow student and became a lifelong friend. Allan went to London in 1803 to continue his studies, possibly at the Royal Academy. In 1805 he went to Russia...