The home of Alexander Nasmyth was a hub for Edinburgh’s artists and intellectuals. Hill came into contact with the Nasmyth family in the 1820s. This lively sketch from 1829 shows the family in conversation around a table. Hill was the contemporary of Alexander Nasmyth’s son, James, who noted: “D. O. Hill, as he was generally known, was much attached to my father. He was a very frequent visitor to our Edinburgh fireside, and was ever ready to join in our extemporised walks and jaunts, when he would overflow with his kindly sympathy and humour.”