About this artwork

Subjects taken from middle-class life were favoured by the Glasgow Boys. This elegant crowd scene was drawn on a boat trip on the Firth of Clyde from Helensburgh. Unlike other steamboats, the ‘Ivanhoe’ did not serve alcohol, providing a more genteel experience. Guthrie explores the range of textures that can be created with pastel. The two women in the foreground are sketched lightly, while detail is added through touches of bright colour. Densely blended layers are used for the ship’s vent and funnel and the sea beyond.

Updated July 2022

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Sir James Guthrie

Sir James Guthrie