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ss> "Hi**

S"

FROM THE GIFT OF

EDWIN SWIFT BALCH

(CLASS OF 1878)
OF PHILADELPHIA

JOHN PETTIE

UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME

GEORGE MORLAND

By Sir WALTER GILBEY, Bast., and
E. D. CUMING

Containing 50 Full-page Reproductions in Colour

of the artist's best work.

Prloe 90/- net.

{Post free, price ao/6)

There is also an Edition de Luxe, limited to 250

signed and numbered Copies.

Prloe £9:9* net.

KATE QREENAWAY

By M. H. SPIELMANN & G. S. LAYARD

Containing 91 Full-page Plates ($5 in Colour

and numerous line illustrations in the text.

Prloe 90/- net.

(Pest free, price ao/6)

BIRKET POSTER

By H. M. CUNDALL, I.S.O., F.S.A.

Containing 91 Full-page Illustrations (73 in Colour)

and numerous thumb-nail sketches in the text.

Prloe 90/- net.

(Post free, price ao/6)

There is also an Edition deLuxe, limited to £00

signed and numbered Copies, each containing

as frontispiece an Etching by Birket Foster.

Prloe £9:9* net.

WILLIAM CALLOW, R.W.S.

An Autobiography
Edited by H. M. CUNDALL, I.S.O., F.S.A.

Containing 91 Full-page reproductions in Colour

of the artist's work, and numerous line sketches.

Prloe 7/6 net.

(Post free, price 7/1 1)

A. AND C BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W.

n

PORTRAIT OF JOHN PETTIE, BY HIMSELF
(Site of original, 12 x ty.)

JOHN PETTIE

iv. A. j /i . J\>. o. A.

BY

MARTIN HARDIE, B.A., A.R.E.

CONDON

ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK

1908

•v'->, ^\3_S". 3>

AGENTS

America The Macmillan Company

64 U 66 Fifth Avenue, New York

Australasia The Oxford University Press, Melbourne

Canada The Macmillan Company of Canada, Ltd.

27 Richmond Steeet West, Toronto

India . Macmillan & Company, Ltd.

Macmillan Building, Bombay

309 Bow Bazaar Striet, Calcutta

TO

MRS. PETTIE
FOR REMEMBRANCE

PREFACE

After reading an
artist's biography,
John Pettie once
turned to his sister
and said : " Well, no
one will ever write
my life; it has been
much too uneventful"
It was, indeed, a life
spent amid quiet
waters, away from
the storm and stress
of action. Its very
calmness, the ease
and rapidity with which success was won, rob the
biographer of picturesque opportunities. Pettie,
moreover, was an indifferent correspondent, for he
hated letter -writing, and he left nothing in the
shape of diaries or documents (beyond a rough

viii JOHN PETTIE

and incomplete list of his pictures) available for
biographical purposes. These are probably the
reasons why, though fifteen years have passed since
his death, no monograph on John Pettie has yet
appeared.

These fifteen years, however, have witnessed
a growing appreciation of his work, and especially
of his power and influence as a colourist. It is
increasingly recognised that Pettie with the other
members of the Scott Lauder School — with George
Paul Chalmers, McTaggart, Orchardson, and the
rest — counts as one of the forces in nineteenth
century art, and that his work has the elements of
dramatic power, of brilliant colour, and individual
style which make for permanent greatness. This
must be the justification for the present volume,
which professes to be little more than a plain presenta-
tion of the essential facts of the artist's career with an
attempt to indicate how his personal character is
reflected in his work, and what the nature and value
of that work is. His soul and strength were given
to his art, his work was his life, and, biographical
material of the ordinary kind being scanty, it is by
his pictures that he must be known. It is therefore
mainly of the painter that I have written. Those
who knew and loved the man must pardon an

PREFACE ix

imperfect record of one whose nature was at once
as strong and as delicate as his own colour.

I have tried to avoid approaching my subject in
the partial spirit which relationship often engenders,
and it is the more easy to offer unprejudiced criticism
in that I was but a boy when my uncle died. It
has been my endeavour also to avoid dwelling
overmuch on incidents and sayings that to others
might seem uninteresting or trivial. One might
multiply little traits of character and relate end-
less acts of kindness and generosity, which to the
general reader might prove but a wearisome
repetition of the fact that Pettie was one of the
kindest and most generous of mankind.

From the art point of view, the main value of
my book will possibly be found in what I believe
to be the almost complete descriptive catalogue of
Pettie's work which it supplies. This has been
compiled from his own imperfect entries in a note-
book, from exhibition and sale catalogues, and
from notes of pictures in private hands. The
collecting of particulars as to many of the
pictures has involved a vast amount of research
and correspondence. In many cases a picture has
been run to earth after quite a long process of
detective work in the searching of clues and

x JOHN PETITE

sifting of evidence. To all those correspondents
who have helped me in the prosecution of such
researches I tender most hearty thanks.

Many biographical facts interwoven in the
narrative have been gathered from conversations
with friends of the artist, or from letters which
they have kindly written to me. Though I have
frequently used almost the actual words of the
speaker or writer, I have not found it possible
in every case to mention the name of a particular
informant as to each fact or impression. My
warm thanks are due in the first place to Mrs.
Pettie and other members of the artist's family
for keen interest and constant help; and, in the
next, to many of Pettie's old friends whom it has
been my lot to seek out in the course of collecting
information. It is a pleasure here to express my
appreciation of their warm welcome and ready
assistance. Their names are almost too numerous
to record, but I would particularly acknowledge
the valuable help given by Mr. J. Bowie, A.R.S. A.,
Dr. Brown, Mr. A. S. Cope, A.R.A., Mr. J. H.
Downes, Mr. Clarence M. Dobell, Mr. C. E.
Johnson, R.I., Mr. J. MacCunn, Mr. W. D.
MacKay, R.S.A., Mr. W. McTaggart, R.S.A.,
Mr. J. MacWhirter, R.A., Mr. Seymour Lucas,

PREFACE xi

R.A., Mr. David Murray, R.A., Mr. J. Campbell
Noble, R.S.A., Miss Noble, Mr. Briton Riviere,
R.A., Mr. W. Wallace, Mr. A. P. Watt, and
Mr. C. Winn.

Mr. J. Paton (Glasgow Corporation Art Gallery),
Mr. James L. Caw (National Galleiy of Scotland),
Mr. R. Wood (Edinburgh Board of Trustees),
Mr. G. Mackie (Aberdeen Art Gallery), Mr. Percy
Bate (Royal Glasgow Institute), Mr. E. Howarth
(Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield), Mr. D. S. MacColl
(Tate Gallery), Mr. J. J. Brownsword (Wolver-
hampton Art Gallery), Mr. G. Birkett (City Art
Gallery, Leeds), and Mr. J. B. Hall (National
Gallery, Melbourne) have all furnished particulars
of pictures in their charge, or have given much
useful information as to other works with which
they were acquainted. For similar courtesy I am
indebted to Mr. Croal Thomson (Messrs. Agnew
and Sons), Mr. W. L. Peacock (Messrs. Wallis
and Son), Mr. R. Muir (Messrs. Bennett and Sons,
Glasgow), Messrs. Arthur Tooth, and Mr. W.
Permain. Mr. Alexander Strahan and Messrs.
Blackie and Son have made useful communications
as to Pettie's early work as a book illustrator.

Articles on John Pettie in the Art Journal
(1898) by Mr. W. M. Gilbert, and in Good Words

xii JOHN PETTIE

(1898) by Mr. Robert Walker, and an admirable
account of East Linton in an early number of
the Scottish Review, have all been helpful. At
various points, assistance has been gained from
Sir Walter Armstrong's Scottish Painters (1888)
and Mr. W. D. MacKay s Scottish School (1906),
while again and again I have had recourse for
information to Mr. Edward Pinnington's George
Paul Chalmers, R.S.A., and the Art of Ids Time
(Glasgow, 1896). His exhaustive study of the
work of Lauder s pupils and the skill with which
he suggests the atmosphere of their time, makes
the book invaluable to any one interested in the
nineteenth century developments of Scottish Art.

Colour-reproductions that come within the
limits of a printed page such as this cannot
possibly convey in every case the full power and
subtleties of a fine painting in oil. But the
utmost care has been taken to ensure the best
possible results, and I venture to believe that very
many of the accompanying illustrations are, of
their kind, remarkably exact and truthful, a not
unworthy record of the painter's work. The hearty
thanks of my Publishers and myself are due to
those owners of pictures who, often at considerable
inconvenience, have lent works in their possession

PREFACE xiii

for reproduction. Their names are not recorded
here, for acknowledgment of the source from which
each illustration has come is made on pages xxi
to xxiil For special facilities in reproducing
works in their charge I am indebted to the Council
of the Royal Academy, the Trustees of the Royal
Holloway College, and the authorities of the
Tate Gallery, the Mappin Art Gallery (Sheffield),
and the Art Galleries of Glasgow, Aberdeen, and
Dundee.

Lastly, my thanks are due to my old friend
Mr. John Henderson, who has read my proof with
close care and has favoured me throughout with
constant advice and suggestions.

ISiffw

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

A picturesque village — Pettie' s birth, and boyhood at East Linton — His
parents and their influence — East Linton a Scottish Barbizon — The
born artist — Early experiments — Penny cakes of water-colour —
Difficulties overcome — House-painters' pigments — A landscape
impression — Early portraiture, and a village verdict — Visit to a
Scottish Academician — An obvious " call " — Enters the Trustees'
Academy — Lodges with his uncle, Robert Frier — His fellow-
students — Robert Scott Lauder : his teaching and influence — His
pupils as a School — Lauder's wrath at the new system — Other
influences — John Phillip — The Pre-Raphaelite movement — A critic
of 1860 — Pettie and Orcbardson — Friendship with McTaggart,
Chalmers, and others — "Their talk was all of colour" — "Always
on the trot " — Early skill in draughtsmanship — Deliberate search
for expression in colour — Prizes at the Trustees' Academy — The
Life Class — Rejected at the Scottish Academy — First success —
Commended by The Scotsman — A picture now in Australia — Illustra-
tions for Family Worship — Contemporary criticism on pictures of
1860 — Destroys his own pictures — First commission for Good Words
— Meeting with Dr. Norman Macleod — First venture at the Royal
Academy — A painter with a future — Last work in Edinburgh — A
narrow escape — Exercise and amusement — Light hearts and empty
pockets — The Volunteer movement — Letter about the first recruits
— The Artists' Company — The Edinburgh Review — Pettie and
McTaggart help to Are the Royal Salute — Some early corre-
spondence — Proposed visit to Paris — London stirs his imagina-
tion Page 1

xv

xvi JOHN PETTIE

CHAPTER II

Unremitting activity of Lauder's students — Need for hard work — The
precariousuess of Art — Formation of a Sketching Club — The
members — The Club at work and play — Love of dramatic incident
— Sketches by Chalmers, Orchardson, and Pettie — The common
influence in all — Edinburgh a city of Clubs — Predecessors of the
Sketching Club— Its immediate forerunner, "The Smashers" —
"The Smashers" reconstituted in London as the "Auld Lang
Syne " — An early minute-book of the " Auld Lang Syne " Club —
Lauder's students revive their Sketching Club in London — Fresh
members added —Subjects, and methods of work — Some typical
sketches — Academy pictures have their origin at the Club — A Club
letter on the death of G. P. Chalmers, R.S.A.— End of the Club
meetings— Book illustrations of the 'sixties — Pettie' s work for Good
Words — A Good Words illustration becomes subject of a picture — A
tribute from Gleeson White — Gives up Good Words illustrations —
Suffers at the hands of the engraver — Other work for periodicals —
Illustrations for various books— His fine draughtsmanship in black-
and-white— Joins "The Etching Club" — Fellow-members — Two
etchings from pictures — One suggests a picture . . Page 38

CHAPTER III

Attraction of London to his ambitious nature— Follows Good Words
to London — Method of developing ideas for the wood-block
— A coffee-room table as a sketch-block — Shares a house with
Orchardson and Tom Graham — Exhibits at the Royal Academy —
The persistency of a collector — Trip to Brittany — Some Brittany
pictures — Bread-and-butter for breakfast — Makes strides iu his
profession — Removal to Fitzroy Square with Orchardson, Graham,
and C. E. Johnson — A historic house in an artists' quarter — A
Bohemian existence — Model and prize-fighter — The true spirit of
Socialism — Armorial bearings and a brutal Government —
Mr. Clarence Dobell's reminiscences— The new generation of
Scotsmen — Certain of having their pictures hung— Marked men
and made men — Put air and space into their canvases — Unkind
criticism, and Time's revenges— Ruskin on John Pettie — Pettie
and others on Ruskin — Pettie's powerful chiaroscuro — The repose

CONTENTS xvii

of blank spaces — Ten years of fine work — Visit to Hastings, and
marriage — " The Drum-head Court-Martial " a marked success —
The Mappin Art Gallery — Poorly represented in London— "The
Arrest for Witchcraft" — Critics find the picture "dun" — Elec-
tion to Associateship of Royal Academy — Unusually young for
the honour— Sir Walter Armstrong on Pettie's early success —
Opinion in Edinburgh as to Orchardson and Pettie — Steady and
consistent growth— Follows his own inclinations — No pandering
to popularity — Ambition and tenacity — Dealers knock at his studio
door — A good income — Unspoiled by success . . Page 59

CHAPTER IV

New house and a supposed burglar — Ten years at 17 St. John's Wood
Road — "At Bay'* — "Treason" — Balance each year between tragedy
and comedy— Visit to Italy— "Tussle with a Highland Smuggler" a
high-water mark — Contemporary criticism of "The Disgrace of
Cardinal Wolsey "—Pictures of 1870—" The Sally " one of Pettie's
greatest works — "Tis Blythe May Day," and its successors of
similar type — " A Scene in the Temple Gardens " — Other pictures of
1871 — A visit from Josef Israels — Election as an Honorary Member
of the Royal Scottish Academy — " Terms to the Besieged/' " The
Flag of Truce," and other works of 1872 and 1873 Page 83

CHAPTER V

Election as a Royal Academician — Exhibits two of his finest works — A
piece of realism — The result of importunity — "Ho ! Ho ! Old Noll"
— A problem of tone — Serves on the Hanging Committee — Diploma
picture — Other work of 1875 — Power of rendering concentrated
action— "The Tussle for the Keg" and "The Threat"— Lord
Leighton as model— "The Solo" and "The Step"— A holiday at
Callander — The influence of Scott and Highland scenery — "Dis-
banded" and other Highland subjects — The death of G. P. Chalmers,
R.S.A. — Letters to Chalmers's mother and McTaggart — "The
Hour," and Pettie's passion for red — "The Death- Warrant " — Sir
Walter Armstrong on Pettie as a colourist — Work of 1880 and 1881
— "Trout-Fishing" — Power as a painter of landscape — Clever

xviii JOHN PETTIE

rendering of movement — "The Duke of Monmouth begging his
Life"— The opinion of Dean Farrar— Other pictures of 1882—
Builds "The Lothians" in Fitzjohn's Avenue — Sir John Millais's
interest in the house — The studio to be a " workshop " — Furniture,
armour, and bric-a-brac — The studio a reflection of its occupant
— Entertainments in the studio — The property-room — Studies
destroyed by Pettie's executors Page 97

CHAPTER VI

The search for a subject— " Dost know this Waterfly ? "— The "Blue
Boy " problem — A punning title — A lean year — Trouble with " The
Orientation of the Church" — His own mistaken estimate — "The
Vigil" unsatisfactory but popular — Description of the Vigil of
Arms — "Challenged" — Critical opinions of the picture —
Mr. Seymour Lucas, and a night at Raynham Hall — Sir Walter
Armstrong on Pettie's colour — "The Chieftain's Candlesticks" —
A problem picture — The story as told by Sir Walter Scott — The
candlemaker's offer— Exhibits of 1887— "The Traitor "— Two
versions and their differences — A visit from Verestschagin — A
moment of danger—" The Clash of Steel "— « The World went very
well then " — Pictures of youth and spring-time — Exhibits of 1890
and 1891 — "Bonnie Prince Charlie" — Last exhibits — Illness —
Removal to Hastings — Death after an operation — Funeral at
Paddington Cemetery Page 118

CHAPTER VII

Pettie as a portrait - painter — Portraits equal to his subject-
pictures — Not sufficiently known — Lean years for the painter
of genre — Portraiture became a necessity and a real pleasure
— How to get the best models — Subject-paintings a portrait gallery
of his relations and friends — Likenesses to be found in his pictures
— A portrait of Briton Riviere — Position as a portraitist — Good
sense and sound handling — Always a colourist — Dislike of modern
costume — The costume-portrait — Arguments for and against it —
Several portraits in costume — "A. P. Watt as a Scholar in the
Time of Titian" — "Sheriff Strachan," a problem in greys — Portraits

CONTENTS xix

of artists in the Macdonald Collection, Aberdeen — Paid for " in
meal or malt " — Portraits of Bough, Chalmers, and Ballantyne —
Other portraits of artists— Portraits of authors — A tribute from Sir
Walter Besant — Music, the Church, the Stage — Portraits of old age
and of youth — Purity of flesh-tints — A portrait with a romantic
history — Delicate refinement of handling — Rapidity of workmanship
— Meeting with Dr. Burton, and a three hours' portrait — A deliberate
test of speed — A practical joke — Other examples of rapidity — Caps
stories with Bret Harte — Six cigars to a picture — Full story of the
portrait of J. C. Noble, R.S.A. — Noble's Rem brand tesque studio —
A " bit of blue "—A "shy " at Noble's head— The first three sittings
— A discussion about cadmium — " For God's sake, gie me a bit o'
cadmium " — A velvet coat commandeered — Physical exhaustion —
Country skies versus those of London — An Academy banquet at
Greenwich — Sir John Millais chaffs Pettie — "One of the finest
portraits painted this century" — A nouveau riche whose portrait
was not painted Page 140

CHAPTER VIII

Love of the dramatic in life, action, and colour — Rembrandt's " beef-
steaks " — The picture must tell its tale — Influence of Sir Walter
Scott on Pettie and Scottish art — Subjects drawn from Scott —
Attracted by the romantic drama of the past — A revival of romance
— Elizabethan and Crorawellian periods supply many themes —
Correctness of dress and accessories — Incidents from Shakespeare
and Sheridan — Imaginative subjects of his own — Historical scenes —
Pictures giving the spirit of history rather than historical fact —
The quality of vision — Evil days for the subject-picture — The
"literary idea" condemned — Pettie's independence of literature,
and power of invention — Art not the slave of literature — Wide
appeal of the subject-painting — Pettie's claim to greatness — His
temperament reflected in subject and style — A rapid worker —
An impressionist in the best sense — Knew when to stop — Chalmers
and Tom Graham — His " white process" — Technique — Colour
first and foremost — Wide range and daring use of colour — A
French criticism — Mr. Briton Riviere on Pettie's colour and
technique — Developments of style — His best period — Portraits —
"Time will colour them" — Pictures have already mellowed —

xx JOHN PETTIE

Power of draughtsmanship and tightness of arrangement — Whole-
some and sincere British art — Water-colour drawings — Colour will
prevail Page 170

CHAPTER IX

An uneventful life — A lover of armour, tapestry, and old furniture —
An early purchase — A bargain in swords — An exchange with
Seymour Lucas — The " Kernoozers' " Club — Visitors' nights —
The connoisseur not infallible — A sad blow to Seymour Lucas —
Pettie'8 love of music, and its inspiration in his work — A song for
each picture — Hamish MacCunn, and a prophetic vision — Marriage
of Pettie's daughter — Orchestral concerts — Music in his pictures
— A prodigious smoker — " Now for a smoke ! " — A memorable
Channel crossing — A keen player of tennis— An enthusiastic angler
— A purist in fishing — The fishing motive in pictures — Summers
spent in Arran — Visits to Italy — Sympathy with the young —
Two letters— E. A. Abbey, R.A., in 1891— Hospitality at "The
Lothians" — Welcome to Briton Riviere— " Say they've come
frae Scotland" — Encouragement to students — Warm sympathy
with beginners — Shows how the wheels go round — Incessant
industry, and large total of exhibits— Honest and plain-spoken —
A personality of a rare kind — A good companion and loyal friend
— His nature " all amber and gold " . . . Page 194

APPENDIXES

I. Portraits op John Pettie Page 213

II. Catalogue op Pictures by John Pettie . . Page 214

INDEX Page 265

M

OTT

LIST OF

Ml

ILLUSTRATIONS

h»

1 f^Rxri ?•

IN COLOUR

Owner or Original

• 1.

Portrait of John Pettie, by

/. MacWhirter, Esq,, R.A.

himself .

.

Frontispiece

pacino

PAGE

* 2.

The Hour .

.

Thomas M f Arly, Esq. .

18

ys

Cromwell's Saints

.

John Jordan, Esq.

30

• 4.

The Monk Sturmi in Search

of a Monastery Site

.

Sir W. Jaffray, Bart. .

50

/ 5.

A Moment of Danger .

.

T H. Ryland, Esq.

58

,6.

The Step .

.

Kenneth M. Clark, Esq. .

68

jl.

The Jacobites

.

The Royal Academy

72

v 8.

A Drum - head Court-

Mappin Art Gallery,

Martial .

.

Sheffield .

76

^9.

The Rehearsal

.

Adam Wood, Esq.

78

,10.

Treason

•

Mappin Art Gallery,
Sheffield .

84

/H.

Pax Vobiscum

.

H. J. Turner, Esq.

86

V I2.

The Sally .

•

Mappin Art Gallery,
Sheffield .

88

XXI

XX11

JOHN PETTIE

* IS. Rejected Addresses

^ 14. The Flag of Truce

j 15. "To the Fields I carried

OWVBB OF ORIODMX FACING PAGE

The Rt. Hon. Baron
Faber ... 90

Mappin Art Gallery,
Sheffield . . . 92

her Milking-Pails "

R H. Brechin, Esq.

94

vl6.

Lady Teazle

Charles Winn, Esq.

96

,17.

A State Secret .

Royal Holloway College

Eghatn

98

vl8.

Ho! Ho! Old Noll! .

W. J. Chryslal, Esq.

100

v 19.

Friar Lawrence and Juliet .

Mrs. Mayou .

102

v20.

The Solo ....

Kenneth M. Clark, Esq.

104

• 81.

A Sword-and-Dagger Fight

Corporation Art Gallery

,

Glasgow .

106

•22.

The Highland Outpost

Mrs. Orchar .

108

,23.

Trout-Fishing in the High-

lands ....

W. S. Steel, Esq. .

112

• 24.

The Palmer

John Aird, Esq.

116

y 25.

" Dost know this Waterfly?"

P. S. Brown, Esq.

120

• 26.

The Vigil .

Tate Gallery

124

v 27.

Charles Surface selling his

Ancestors

J. Ogston, Esq.

126

v28.

The Chieftain's Candlesticks

[By permission of the late

■

Mrs. Morten]

128

v29.

The Musician

Aberdeen Art Gallery

130

„ SO.

Two Strings to her Bow

Corporation Art Gallery,

Glasgow .

132

*S1.

A Storm in a Teacup .

Colonel Harding .

134

^32.

The Traitor

Mrs. Ness

136

, 88.

The World went very well

James Murray, Esq.,

then ....

M.P.

138

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

xxm

^ 34. Bonnie Prince Charlie

^ 35. Scene from Peveril of the

Peak ....
* 36. Portrait of A. P. Watt, Esq.,

as a Scholar in the Time

of Titian.
/ 37. Portrait of William Black .

Owner or Original facinq page
Charles Stewart, Esq. . 140

James Murray, Esq.,M.P. 1 44

A. P. Watt, Esq. . .148
Corporation Art Gallery,
Glasgow . . . 150

4 38.

Portrait of Sir Charles
Wyndham, as David

Garrick ....

Sir Charles Wyndham

. 152

/39.

Portrait of Miss Bessie Watt

A. P. Watt, Esq. .

154

40.

Portrait of Martin and Berta

A

Hardie .

Mrs. Hardie .

156

/41.

A Fayre Ladye .

T. L. S. Roberts, Esq.

158

,42.

Portrait of Dr. Burton

C. Winn, Esq.

160

,43.

Portrait of J. Campbell

Noble, R.S.A. .

J. C Noble, Esq., R.S.A

162

y44.

The Milkmaid .

John Jordan, Esq. .

166

45.

Disbanded ....

Fine Art Institution

4

Dundee

172

j 46.

The Clash of Steel

John Jordan, Esq. .

174

v 47.

Grandmother's Memories

Trustees of the late Alex

Rose, Esq.

176

7 48.

The Cardinal

[By permission of the late

Mrs. Morten]

180

j 49. A Knight in Armour
(Portrait of William
Wallace, Esq.)

/50. Two Strings to her Bow
(Water-colour Sketch)

W. Wallace, Esq. . 184

Charles Winn, Esq. . 192

xriv JOHN PETTIE

ALSO EIGHT SMALL ILLUSTRATIONS
IN BLACK AND WHITE

PAOS

Pettie's Fist, by E. A. Abbey, R.A i

The Harlequin Boy (Good Words, 1863) iii

Study of Two Children's Heads iv

The Monk Sturmi in Search of a Monastery Site {Good

Words, 1863) vii

Pettie's dream of Hamish MacCunn conducting a monster

orchestra xiv

Sketch of E. A. Abbey, R.A xxi

"The Country Surgeon" (Good Words, 1862) . .263

"What sent me to Sea" (Good Words, 1862) . .264

JOHN PETTIE

CHAPTER. I

EDINBURGH DAYS

The little village of East Linton lies six miles from
Dunbar, and about twenty-three miles south of
Edinburgh. Though the expresses from London
go thundering across the bridge that spans the
Tyne in the very midst of its red-roofed houses, the
village offers no obvious attractions to the tourist,
and still preserves much of the quiet remoteness
which characterised it some sixty years ago when
John Pettie was a boy. After the railway track
crosses the Border at Berwick, a traveller with
observant eye is rewarded by many pleasant
glimpses of smiling scenery. On the one side are
the rich agricultural uplands of "the garden of
Scotland"; on the other, deep gullies breaking
through red-rocked cliffs give a vista of the huts of
salmon-fishers on the shore below, with nets drying
in the sunlight, and quaint, flat-bottomed boats

2 JOHN PETTIE

riding 'on the waves* But in all that journey there
is no bit of scenery more picturesque or attractive
than that glimpse — alas 1 too brief — of the red roofs
of East Linton, and of the old stone bridge, with
its ribbed arches, where the river goes tumbling over
dark masses of rock into the 'linn,' to which the
village probably owes its name.

It was in East Linton that John Pettie spent
his boyhood. The Dictionary of National Bio-
graphy, and even his own tombstone, honour it as
his birthplace ; but that is an error. He was born
in Edinburgh on March 17, 1889, and migrated with
his parents to East Linton in 1852. His father
had purchased a business in the village ; and as the
owner of the principal shop, a seller of wares more
universal than those of Autolycus, was an import-
ant person in the small community. Both parents
were simple, honest, God-fearing Scottish folk.
The father, Alexander Pettie, was kindly, humor-
ous, and of a singularly gentle nature. In a faded
letter, which he wrote to me when I first went to
school, occurs this passage : —

Latin and Greek are all very well: but cultivate good
Common Sense. Be kind to your schoolfellows, obliging as
far as you can ; never get angry, if possible ; keep cool, and
" keep your powder dry."

EDINBURGH DAYS 8

That was the doctrine which, by precept and
example, he had instilled into his son John. A
similar letter, written by the latter to a boy who
had gained a Queen's Scholarship at Westminster,
has recently come into my hands. It bears a
curious resemblance to that letter of his father,
both in spirit and in actual words, and shows
how strongly his father's influence affected his
character and career.

" Just seen your name in the Times" he writes. " Not
only your mother and your father, but your friends (I count
myself one) are proud of you. Go on, my boy. Keep your
head cool, don't think less of some folks who don't know the
Greek for potatoes, and you will do. Pax tibi. [Here
there is a sketch of a hand in benediction.] John Pettie."

From his father John Pettie derived his gentle-
ness and quiet humour ; from his mother, the
sterling qualities of pluck and perseverance. Alison
Pettie — always the active force of the household —
was a typical Scotswoman of the old school,
possessing rare shrewdness and keen vigour of
intellect. She was a woman of broad sympathies,
a thinker and an observer, a wide reader, educated
in the fullest sense of the word. Like many another
man who has made his mark in the world, Pettie
owed much to early upbringing, much to a mother's
strength of character.

4 JOHN PETITE

East Linton now has its art traditions, and will
figure with prominence in any history of Scottish
painting. Pettie's career was undoubtedly the in-
spiring influence which led two East Linton boys
in later days — Charles Martin Hardie, R.S.A., and
the late Arthur Melville, A.R.S.A. — to enter the
field of art Since their time the village has become
a haunt of landscape painters, a Scottish Barbizon.
Robert Noble, R.S.A., is their doyen, steadily faith-
ful to the charms that first won him many years
ago ; and the list of those who have fallen tempor-
arily under its spell includes J. Campbell Noble,
R.S.A. ; Austen Brown, A.R.S. A. ; Coutts Michie,
A.R.S.A. ; James Paterson, A.R.S.A. ; Fiddes
Watt, Grosvenor Thomas, the late Joseph Far-
quharson, A.R. A., and many other Scotsmen ; while
England too has sent her ambassadors, among them
A. Friedenson and the late Edwin Ellis. The
country folk have long ceased to gaze upon artists
with open-mouthed curiosity, and by the riverside
below the linn you will often find as many painters
at work as on the foreshore of Newlyn or in face
of the old Sloop Inn at St. Ives, where at times a
man has to walk with caution for fear of tripping
over the leg of an easel or setting his foot in a box
of oily tubes. To those who know the place it is

EDINBURGH DAYS 5

little wonder that an artist colony has been attracted
by the quaint architecture of bridge and houses, the
rocky linn, and the upper reaches of the stream,
with old disused mills upon the bank, and pools
fringed with silvery willows, that suggest Corot-
like subjects at every turn.

When Pettie was a boy at East Linton, land-
scape painting of the Scottish school was still
largely bound by classical convention and the
traditions of the grand style. The heritage of
Constable and the " men of 1880," who sought out
the moods and mystery and poetry of simple Nature,
had not yet begun to " thaw the unmaternal bosom
of the North." The possibility of wresting the
very soul and character out of Nature was still
unimagined. And so it was the infinite variety of
human character rather than of Nature that
appealed to Pettie in his boyhood years. East
Linton had no traditions in the 'fifties, and a village
lad could obtain no knowledge of the world's
inheritance of art Max Nordau would say of him
that he possessed the peculiar susceptibility and
keenness of the optical centre, which is the organic
hypothesis of the talent for drawing. Scientific
explanations are sometimes strangely futile, and it
is simpler to say, in plain and adequate language,

6 JOHN PETITE

that he was a born artist. Art was in his blood ;
drawing and colour were bone of his bone, flesh of
his flesh. Nature never intended him for the dull
and respectable vocation of a country tradesman ;
but, naturally enough, his father wished him to
follow in his own steps, and it troubled him greatly
to observe his son, heedless of immediate duty,
making surreptitious sketches of customers or of
passers in the street Everything subserved the
boy's purpose, and his early taste grew to a passion.
More than once, when despatched on an errand to
storeroom or cellar, he was discovered making
drawings on the lid of a wooden box or the top of
a cask, totally oblivious of his journey and its
object.

Dr. Robert Brown, the author of several
educational works, who was Pettie's boy-chum in
those days at East Linton, possesses the first
drawing made by him in more than one colour.
The subject, typical in its choice — " The Death of
Twedric, King of Gwent, in the moment of
Victory," — was copied from a cheap reproduction
of some contemporary painting, but the colouring
was Pettie's own. To draw and colour pictures,
in these days of cheap paint-boxes, is a common
amusement of children ; and this is no more than

EDINBURGH DAYS 7

the ordinary child's drawing. But in a country
village fifty years ago colours were not thrust
upon every child, and a work such as this was
evidence of difficulties overcome, and of zeal and
perseverance. The material for this and later
essays in art consisted of penny cakes of water-
colours procured from Edinburgh. Among the
wares in his father's stores were casks of raw crude
pigment — red, blue, yellow ochre, and white lead
— kept for the use of house-painters, and with
these he dashed into his first experiments with oil.
It is more than probable that his introduction to
oil paint was forced upon him by some sudden
failure in his stock of penny cakes. When a
subject suggested itself, he was never one to be
delayed or daunted by difficulties, and it was
thoroughly characteristic of his impulsive nature
that he should seize on the rough pigments of the
shop. An instance, one of many, of this zest and
eagerness, comes from a memory of my boyhood.
On an evening walk with my uncle from Corrie to
Glen Sannox in the Isle of Arran he was suddenly
arrested by the particular effect of a single yellow
light in the window of a white-washed cottage
which glowed like luminous white paint against
the dark background of purple heather. Neither

8 JOHN PETTIE

by nature nor by choice was he a landscape painter,
but he was caught by the inspiration of the theme,
and turned straight homewards to make a vivid
water-colour impression with my shilling box of
paints, the only colours at his command.

Even in those early days under his parents'
roof-tree it was portraiture and genre that evoked
Petties talent, and he made the most of the subjects
which came ready to hand. Various members of
his family served as models for portraits in crayon,
washed with slight tint. A remarkable piece of
work for the untrained hand of a country lad,
fifteen years of age or less, is a drawing in colour
of a village "character," one John Little, who
went his rounds with a donkey, carrying coal and
what not. The simple and untutored sketch is
instinct with keen observation and subtle render-
ing of character. The carrier's costume, the
donkey's head, the tiles on the roof of the house,
and the cobble stones of the road are drawn with
particular care. "Losh me! If it isna Jock
Little an' his wonderfu' cuddy: it's sae life-like
that it's no canny," was the village verdict Even
the "gudeman," though he might not admit it,
was consciously proud of his son.

At last there came a day when the mother's

EDINBURGH DAYS 9

sympathy intervened. Greatly daring, she carried
off her son to Edinburgh, a bundle of drawings
beneath his arm, to visit Mr. James Drummond,
one of the leading members of the Royal Scottish
Academy. They were courteously received,
and Drummond, after listening to the mother's
story, threw out every discouragement "Much
better make him stick to business" was his
verdict, based on experience rather than evidence.
After a long and kindly conversation, during
which the boy stood by, silent and miserable, Mrs.
Pettie ventured with a sigh, "Then it's no use
showing you his drawings ? " Mainly to cheer the
lad, who looked utterly downcast, Drummond
readily expressed his willingness to see the work.
Eagerly was the parcel opened, and sketch after
sketch was handed to the painter, who studied
them in silence, one after one. The boy watched
his face tensely, like one who awaits a physician's
verdict of life or death. Not a word was spoken
till the great man handed them all back, and turn-
ing to the mother said, "Well, madam, you can
put that boy to what you like, but he'll die an
artist!"

There was no longer any idea of thwarting so

obvious a "call." With every encouragement

2

10 JOHN PETTIE

Fettie set out for Edinburgh to enter the
Academy, founded by the Board of Trustees
for Manufactures, then the only art school of its
kind in Scotland. Drummond stood sponsor to
him by giving the necessary recommendation,
and his name was entered upon the rolls on
October 16, 1855. From then until 1860 he lived
at 56 India Street, with his uncle, Robert Frier,
who only a few years before had himself forsaken
a business in the High Street of Edinburgh to
become a painter and a highly successful teacher
of drawing. From the start Fettie had a steady
supporter and friend in Robert Frier.

At the head of the Trustees* Academy was
Robert Scott Lauder, R.S.A., who, with John
Ballantyne as his assistant, took personal charge
of the Antique, Life, and Colour Departments of
the School. Lauder had entered upon his duties
in 1852, and his teaching and influence were
beginning to make a clear mark on the develop-
ment of the Scottish School. He possessed a
fine sense of design, and a command of colour
which has led Sir Walter Armstrong, in his
Scottish Painters, to say that " in Lauder's better
work there are passages which come near Dela-
croix in rich resonance of tint" He had not the

EDINBURGH DAYS 11

sustained force and the imagination of Delacroix,
and at times there is a looseness and stiffness in
his drawing, but he had the true passion for colour,
and it was this colour instinct which he handed
on to the younger generation. George Paul
Chalmers, W. Q. Orchardson, J. MacWhirter,
Hugh Cameron, Peter Graham, Tom Graham,
and W. McTaggart were among Pettie's con-
temporaries at the Trustees* Academy. It is no
mean roll of names for a single teacher.

Lauder will go down to fame, not as a painter,
but as a great teacher with a wide and far-reaching
influence. He set himself to teach his pupils how
to see. In the Antique Class, for instance, he did
not place a single figure, but a whole group of
casts, before them. He insisted on a grasp of the
model as a whole, in all its relations of line and
colour, of light, shade, and perspective. Thus
he taught his pupils that power of grouping, of
seeing things broadly, of obtaining atmosphere and
chiaroscuro, which is one common characteristic of
their work. But he appears to have followed no
cut-and-dry system, and to have made no attempt
to mould his students into any uniformity, or to
impress upon them his own personality and
methods. Their master had the rare art of

12 JOHN PETITE

drawing out their latent powers, and directing
them towards the best means of self-expression,
but they were happily left to work out their own
tastes and preferences. He inspired them with
enthusiasm and a common devotion to high ideals,
filling them with a sense of the importance and
responsibility of their profession. Though Lauder's
pupils preserved their individuality, they all owed
much to the inspiration and magnetism of their
teacher. As a School, they combined in breathing
new life into Scottish art, at a period when it
threatened to become listless and apathetic ; they
inaugurated a fresh epoch and paved the way for
later and wider endeavour. They had this in
common, that their art was subjective and personal
rather than conventional, and that one and all
made beautiful colour their highest ideal. Though
there is a melodic sweetness of tone in their work,
which contrasts with the grave and grand harmonies
of Lauder's style, all of them, I think, would
acknowledge that of this love of colour Lauder
was the fountain-head. There is an illuminating
passage in a letter written by Pettie to McTaggart
in November 1858 :

I am the only student you know at the Academy.
Lauder has persuaded me to commence a large painting of

EDINBURGH DAYS 13

the skeleton. He is wild at the new system which they
(Drummond, Paton, Archer) are going to begin at the Life
Class, open after the New Year. He feels that their rigorous
drawing and inattention in the meantime to colour imply
that his system has been all wrong. Oh ! he if wild !

There were, of course, other influences at work
besides that of Robert Scott Lauder. The Scottish
National Gallery, with its superb Van Dycks,
Gainsboroughs, and Raeburns, offered endless
attractions to the young student, who spent long
days there of earnest and concentrated study.
The current exhibitions of the Scottish Academy
contained works which were a constant stimulus.
John Phillip's superb strength and brilliancy of
colour must have attracted Pettie, just as it won
the life-long allegiance of Chalmers. Phillip's finer
work did not begin to find its way to the
Edinburgh Exhibition till about 1861, when
Pettie's technique was already well formed; but
the colour quality of his work, seen in Edinburgh
and London during the following years of his
maturity, was a spur to the younger painter, who
aimed at the same ideal " The Hour," shown at
the Scottish National Exhibition this year (1908),
reveals, perhaps, more than any other work by
Pettie, an actual resemblance between the two

14 JOHN PETTIE

painters. The colour of the somewhat olive face,
the full succulent red of the dress, that seems to
throw out a radiation of light, the feeling of
strength rather than modulation in the handling
of solid pigment, all express kinship to the work
of Phillip. Both men were master colourists.

In his Scottish School of Painting, Mr. W. D.
McKay, though he does not deal individually with
Lauder's pupils, indicates another reason why their
technique shows a break from the traditions of their
predecessors. He points out how in their case the
broad and simple fusion of the great masters of
the past is discarded for a manner partly dictated
by the keen search after verisimilitude rendered
necessary by the realistic mid-century movement
In the 'fifties the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites
was certainly making itself felt in Edinburgh as
well as in the south. Between 1852 and 1860
eleven pictures by Millais, among them " Ophelia,"
"Autumn Leaves," "The Blind Girl," "The
Order of Release," and "The Rescue," appeared
at the Scottish Academy, together with other
works of the same School, such as the "Burd
Helen" of Windus. And about 1861 or 1862
Holman Hunt's "Claudio and Isabella" was
exhibited in Princes Street, where it made a

EDINBURGH DAYS 15

strong impression on Pettie. The resolution of
the Pre-Raphaelites to cut away all convention
and to turn devotedly to Nature as the one means
of purifying modern art must have had a powerful
effect upon the eager band of Scottish students,
inspired as they were by their master s devotion to
colour. Lauder's pupils differ from the Pre-
Raphaelites in their grasp of atmosphere and in
their exact use of broken colour, but they were
undoubtedly influenced by the keen colour sense
and the devotion to Nature of their English
contemporaries. When Ruskin in later days
likened the principal head in Pettie's " Jacobites "
to the work of William Hunt, who, though not a
Pre-Raphaelite, was strongly influenced by the
naturalistic tendency of the times, one can quite
understand what he meant ; though Pettie's virile
technique is far finer than the "chopped straw"
method of old William. Certain it is that while
the earliest work of Lauder's pupils — that of both
Pettie and Orchardson, for instance — is akin to
that of their immediate predecessors, towards 1860
a closer analysis of true tones finds expression
in their work by the use of broken colour, with
intermingling and transitional tints echoing the
dominant note.

16 JOHN PETTIE

That as a School they advanced slowly towards
their command of colour, and that Pettie in those
early days had not begun to strike those bell-notes
which made his pictures sing out on any exhibition
wall, is shown by a rare and interesting pamphlet
on "Scottish Art and Artists in I860," written
by " Iconoclast" At its close comes a brief note
about the younger artists :

Those of them who form what some call the New School
stand much in need of caution and advice. They are clever
young men of considerable originality, several of whom we
trust yet to see highly distinguished. It would be flattery
to say more, and injustice to say less. But they are falling
into affectations and vices of style which must destroy them
for ever, and this is the reason that we dedicate to them this
short note. Their pictures want finish, and are objectionable
in colour. The love of grey and grey-green exhibited by
the school is ridiculous. It is their regulation colour — their
harmony of harmonies is grey agreeing with itself. With
Mr. Cameron it is a disease. Mr. Pettie and Mr. McTaggart
are slowly giving up this affectation. The latter promises
soon to be out of the grey school. Mr. Pettie, we doubt not,
will also soon make his escape, notwithstanding that his
principal picture, "The Minstrel," shows the vices of
slovenliness and colour, fully as much as any of Mr.
Cameron's. The colour here is grey in masses, shading into
yellow, and relieved by white and red — white in a large
expanse of tablecloth and red on the person of the minstrel,
who, with open mouth, and audaciously bad legs, stands
against the table singing. Mr. Orchardson's " Jeanie Deans "
is especially grey and wretched.

EDINBURGH DAYS 17

In every community of art students there is
always one placed on a pedestal of high esteem by
all the rest, one whose word is law, final and
absolute. Pettie always remembered his first
walk with a fellow-student along Princes Street,
the sudden clutch at his elbow, and the reverential
whisper, " There's Orchardson I " Orchardson was
his senior by several years. He had joined the
classes of the Trustees' Academy in 1846, and
though he had left the School and had exhibited
on several occasions at the Scottish Academy (his
" Sketching from Nature," for instance, hung
beside Lauder's "Christ teaching Humility" in
1848), he returned in the session of 1852-8 in order
to profit by Lauder's instructions, and for several
years afterwards he was a frequent, if not a
regular, attendant at the classes. That he
influenced Pettie, or that both fell under common
influences, is clearly apparent. Their work, for
many years after this, bears a close resemblance
both in subject and in technique. It was not till
after they came to London that their development
continued on different lines: Orchardson, with
strong individuality, pursuing colour schemes
based upon softly harmonised semi-tones, which
have caused Chesneau to liken his work to the

8

18 JOHN PETITE

back of an old tapestry ; Pettie, with growing
vigour, inclined rather to sacrifice nicety of
manipulation to brilliant contrasts of colour and
the gaining of striking effects.

With Orchardson and others of his fellow-
students — William McTaggart, Hugh Cameron,
Tom Graham, and George Paul Chalmers in parti-
cular — Pettie formed ties of warm friendship which
remained unbroken through life. All were his
close companions during the years which he spent
in Edinburgh. With Chalmers he had much in
sympathy, for Chalmers's start in painting was
singularly like Pettie's own. He was originally
bound apprentice to a general grocer and ship-
chandler in Montrose, and after covering the walls
of the shop where he worked with sketches made
by means of a cheap colour-box, he set to work
in oil with the common ship paints that came ready
to hand. When Pettie and he were young students,
they would sometimes go home after the evening
Life Class to the high tenement in North St. David
Street where Chalmers lodged ; and Pettie would
stay talking till he had to remain for the night So
they would retire to bed, still talking till they fell
asleep; and, says Chalmers's biographer, "their
talk was all of colour."

THE HOUR
(Sue of original, 40 x 84.)

EDINBURGH DAYS 19

At the very outset of his career Pettie astonished
teachers and fellow-students by the indomitable
vigour and energy which he threw into his work.
He set about everything with impetuous en-
thusiasm. Mr. C. E. Johnson, R.I., tells how in
those days he could not even walk from school
to studio—" he was always on the trot" For two
or three years he worked untiringly at drawing.
By hard training in the schools he acquired that
triumph over technique and that freedom and
happy audacity of draughtsmanship which carried
him to success, where the toilsome elaboration
and patient concentration of another artist fails
because it leaves the onlooker cold and unmoved.
He acquired then a power and directness of draw-
ing which enabled him afterwards to draw with
his brush as freely and correctly as another man
could with the point In later days he could dash
a portrait or a figure straight upon the canvas
with scarcely a touch of preliminary drawing,
and then so manipulate his colour as to render
all the niceties of expressive detail. His portrait
of himself in chalk with very slight tints, done
at the age of sixteen, within a few months of his
entering the School, bears witness to his natural
power of drawing. So he became an accomplished

20 JOHN PETTIE

draughtsman long before he was a colourist He
said afterwards : " I felt about colour then, like a
boy looking at all the bright bottles in a sweetie-
shop window, that it was something to be bought
when I had saved up a pennyworth of drawing."
One day, after Pettie had been for nearly two years
at the Trustees' Academy, one of his teachers
happened to call at India Street, and remarked to
Robert Frier : " Your nephew is a fine draughts-
man, but he seems to have no special faculty for
colour.** The remark was repeated, and from that
moment Pettie set himself to master the principles
of colour. "If other men," he said, "become
colourists by working ten hours a day, I'll work
twenty 1 " He had the infinite capacity for taking
pains that is the mark of genius, but fortunately
he also possessed the true spark of genius itself.
For neither the gift of seeing colour nor of express-
ing it in paint can be acquired by pains or prayer,
though training may serve in its development.
" Colour may be in you," he said in later years,
" and it has to be dragged out ; but it must be in
you first."

It was not until nearly three years after he
entered the Trustees' Academy that Pettie won
his spurs as a painter. In the session of 1857-8

EDINBURGH DAYS 21

he gained the first prize for painting from the
antique, the second and third prizes being awarded
to Thomas Hay and James Wilson respectively.
In that year, in the class of painting from life, Tom
Graham took the first prize, Alexander Leggat the
second, Pettie the third. The last of the School
lists in which he appears as a regular student is
that for 1858-9, when he was nineteen, but it is
again entered in the following session, 1859-60,
when with five other students he was granted a free
ticket for the Anatomical Lectures. By a Treasury
Minute of 1858 the Trustees' Academy had been
bisected, and the Royal Scottish Academy made
responsible for the conduct of the Life Class. In
the Academy's Report for that year there is printed,
as an appendix, a long note, dealing with the carry-
ing on of the School, drawn up by Paton, Drum-
mond, and Archer, who had been appointed visitors.
It is dated November 8, 1858, and with its insist-
ence on the importance of drawing as opposed to
colour, was of a nature strongly calculated to
awaken the ire of Robert Scott Lauder, as may be
gathered from Pettie's letter, quoted above. Para-
graph XL of the Academy Report expresses a hope
that the School will be opened immediately after
the Christmas holidays, but in the Report of the

22 JOHN PETITE

following year, 1859, regret is expressed that, owing
to the extensive alterations which had been found
necessary in the room set apart for the purpose, the
School had not yet been opened. From the Report
for 1860 one learns that the Life Class actually
began on November 22, 1859. It was then
carried on for six months in an apartment far from
satisfactory, and perhaps with unsatisfactory results :
at any rate, there is no mention of prize-winners
till the Report for the year ending November 18,
1861. " For the best finished drawing of the figure,"
a first prize of £5 was awarded to George Paul
Chalmers, and a second prize of £2 to John Pettie ;
while Tom Graham gained a prize of £8 " for the
best series of drawings of the figure from memory."
In 1857 Pettie sent in his first picture to the
Royal Scottish Academy, and it was rejected. He
carried it home under his arm over the South
Bridge ; and one can imagine how another man,
with the foolishness and sentimentality of youth,
might have gazed over the bridge parapet and
wondered vaguely whether life was worth living.
But Pettie bit his lip, stamped his foot, and
muttered," 111 make them hang my pictures yet"
Then he went on at his eager trot, all the more
anxious to drive ahead with the work he had in

EDINBURGH DAYS 28

hand. It was never in his nature to "mourn a
mischief that is past and gone." Buoyant and
hopeful to the end of his days, he had a favourite
saying, in any time of passing stress or trouble,
that he could " stand a siege." In later years he
was always sympathetic with the man whose pic-
ture had been rejected, but he was always honest
" You may be practically certain," he would say,
" that if your picture has been rejected, it would
have done you more harm than good had it been
hung."

In 1858 he was more successful, for he sold a
small picture called "The Dead Rabbit," and at
the Royal Scottish Academy exhibited a " Scene
from the Fortunes of Nigel— In Trapbois' House,"
which was bought for £15 by the Glasgow Asso-
ciation for the Promotion of Fine Arts. The
Scotsman of February 15, 1858, drew attention
to it as "a very clever work, which could have
been sold many times had it not been secured
at the outset by the Glasgow Association." He
showed also at the Academy portraits of his
mother and his sister, probably tinted drawings.
The sale of the "Fortunes of Nigel" is noticed
in a letter written to McTaggart by George
Paul Chalmers, who felt the contrast between

24 JOHN PETTIE

his own dilatoriness and the steady industry of
both his friends :

Dear Mac. — . . . Hurrah!! Hurrah!!! Monstrous
Success would need to be your placard. I have just got the
Scotsman, and I read therein that aU (all did I say ? Yes, I
see it again) your pictures were sold on Saturday. This
is really extraordinary success. ... I also see that Pettie's
picture is sold. Is it good ? Tell me. I am crazed, truly
mad. I have been sleeping, or I might have had something
of consequence. It cannot be helped now. I am to come
out strong next year. That is the way to put it off. . . .
Remember me to Pettie and all my other friends.

In 1859 the Royal Scottish Academy accepted
"The Young Student," a "Scene from The
Monastery" and "The Prison Pet" The last
picture, a manacled prisoner feeding a rat with
the crumbs of his own scanty meal, was bought
for £85 by the Association for the Promotion of
Fine Arts. It was included in their distribution
of prizes, and was won by Mr. W. H. Challoner of
Adelaide. After passing through the hands of
a Mr. James Macdonald, Canon Honor, and a
dealer named Marcel, it is now in the collection
of Mr. Barr Smith in Adelaide. In 1859, too,
Messrs. Blackie gave him his first commission for a
frontispiece and another illustration to Family
Worship, a devotional work issued in monthly

EDINBURGH DAYS 86

parts, at one shilling, during 1862 and 1863, and
published in a handsome volume in 1864. This
commission put another welcome £85 into the
student's purse. His subjects were "Evening
Prayer " and "Morning Worship," and models
were sought in his home at East Linton. They
reproduce scenes of Scottish family life which
Burns immortalised in The Cotter's Saturday
Night, and with which Pettie was familiar in his
own village home. The latter subject, noteworthy
already for completeness of composition and power
of chiaroscuro, contains a striking likeness of his
father, while the other figures are those of his
mother, his sisters Jane and Marion, his brother
James, and a servant They were painted in oils,
and engraved by J. Stephenson. The result must
have pleased the publishers, for within the next
two years he was working on four further
illustrations for Family Warship. The sub-
jects, "Noah's Sacrifice," "Melchizedek blessing
Abraham," "The Brazen Serpent," and "Paul
taken by the Chief Captain," were based upon
Schnorr's well-known renderings of the same inci-
dents. " Noah's Sacrifice/' which by the courtesy
of Messrs. Blackie I have seen, though dignified
in colour and design, has a stiffness and formality

26 JOHN PETTIE

which make little revelation of the painter of
after years.

In 1860 " Morning Worship " was exhibited at
the Scottish Academy, and with it three other
pictures— "False Dice," "The Water-Gate," and
" The MinstreL" I have been unable to trace any
of these early works of 1860, and therefore quote
some passages of contemporary criticism from
Scottish newspapers, which not only describe the
pictures, but prove that the young artist's work
was already singled out as [showing particular
promise :

By J. Pettie are several clever and effective works — "The
Young Student," "The Prisoner's Pet," and a "Scene from
The Monastery" where Halbert Glendinning stands horror-
stricken by the vision which comes to him in his bedroom.
These are all touched with a freedom and masterlike hand,
so boldly that we scarcely know whether most to fear or to
hope for the future of so daring a young student.

We have said little about John Pettie's "Minstrel:
Convent Hospitality." With his "False Dice," it proves
the possession of talents far above those by which common-
place painters are contented to secure a fleeting popularity.
In him is a faculty of seizing the dramatic aspect of events.
None of our young artists display so much vigour and versa-
tility. He is evidently labouring hard, and his progress has
been rapid. We believe that good things may be confidently
expected from him, and we have no fear that, in his case,
adulation will have power to cause any relaxation of that

EDINBURGH DAYS 27

honest, thoughtful work, which has already carried him so
far onward in the journey. Even now, meditative men may
stand before his picture and read a story of Convent life,
with its wearying formality that is interrupted by the visit
of the red-haired minstrel, in whom professional audacity is
vainly struggling for mastery over a sense of being looked
on with suspicion, if not aversion, by the more ascetic of the
brethren. There is a keen insight in Pettie's other picture,
a representation of how certain Elizabethan gallants detect
a sharper. He has juggled with false dice, defrauding yonder
simple youth who is astonished at the plot from which he
has been suddenly extricated. A noble station awaits a
young man who produces such works of promise as these
two pictures. — Edinburgh News, April 28, 1860.

In 1861 he sent "Distressed Cavaliers turned
Highwaymen," and three other subjects. The
distressed Cavaliers are of the Roger Wildrake
stamp. With hair dishevelled, garments torn, and
unhealed wounds received in some skirmish with
Roundhead foes, but still with an air of pretension
and an appearance of rakish gentility, they are
concealed in a thicket, and are busily engaged in
making ready their arms for use against the in-
mates of a carriage which approaches slowly from
the distance through the snow. Among the other
works was " The Day Dream," but this he after-
wards destroyed, along with two pictures exhibited
at the Crystal Palace in the same year. His

28 JOHN PETTIE

critical attitude towards his own work and the
high standard which he set himself is shown by
the ominous entry "Destroyed'* in his notebook
against five or six pictures of this early period.
In one instance he begged back from its owner a
work of which with maturer knowledge he did not
approve, destroyed it, and gave him something far
finer in its place.

In 1862 he was represented by "One of
Cromwell's Divines," and by " The Old Lieutenant
and his Son," which gave clear evidence of his
growing power as a colourist. This work, for
which he received £55, was a commission from
Mr. Alexander Strahan, the founder and publisher
of Good Words, and was painted in illustration of
a story by Dr. Norman Macleod, the editor of
the magazine. The picture was to be a presenta-
tion one to the eminent divine, who one day
climbed the stair in India Street to see what
progress the artist was making. Pettie received
him at the door, showed him the picture standing
on an easel, and while the great man was examining
it, made a rapid sketch of his back view for em-
bodiment in his next weekly budget to his mother.
"Well, my lad," said Dr. Macleod, preparing to
leave, "tell Mr. Pettie that I am sorry to have

EDINBURGH DAYS 29

missed seeing him, but that I am delighted with
the picture." There were profuse apologies and
compliments when the youthful painter modestly
acknowledged his handiwork.

Meanwhile he had essayed a higher flight, and
in 1860 made his first venture at the Royal
Academy in London with "The Armourers,"
which was hung on the line. This was followed
in 1861 by " What d'ye lack, madam ? " — a picture
inspired by Scott's Fortunes of Nigel It is a
work of singular brilliance and spirit, a vivid
rendering of life in the London of olden days.
There is rare charm in the figure of the mercer's
apprentice, standing outside his master's booth in
Fleet Street, and with sadcy smile wheedling and
cajoling passing dames and damsels with his
"What d'ye lack, madam? What d'ye lack?"
With the exhibition of this picture his success was
assured. The critic of the Athenceum drew
attention to it as "a picture which with all its
thinness of painting, has much quaint comic
character and clever handling : indeed the handling
is too clever." Pettie was now looked upon as
a punter with a future; and there can be no
doubt that the warm reception which this picture
met brought the turning-point in his career, and

80 JOHN PETTIE

encouraged him to seek his fortunes in the greater
world of London.

In 1862 he finished " Cromwell s Saints," the
last picture which «he painted in Edinburgh.
In it he displays the brilliant drawing, the
characteristic style of conception, and the sure
command of colour, which riper years only
developed and strengthened. As a character
study he did few things better than this realisation
of the " old decayed tapsters,' 9 and other vagabonds
of Cromwell's "lovely company," in whose ranks
was supposed to be no blasphemy, drinking, dis-
order, or impiety. Years later, in a "Member of
the Long Parliament" (1878), Pettie did justice to
the nobler and sterner side of Puritan dignity. Of
the three figures in " Cromwell's Saints," the one
on the right is noteworthy as a clever portrait of
Sam Bough, R.S.A. During its painting, Pettie
was sharing C. £. Johnson's studio in a building
known as Short's Observatory, erected originally
to contain a camera obscura and other popular
attractions. Standing high, with a glass roof, just
below the Castle Esplanade, the studio commanded
a magnificent view across Edinburgh and the Firth
of Forth to the blue hills of Fife. One day Pettie
had just laid down his palette and risen for a

CROMWELL'S SAINTS
(Size of original, 17 X 21.)

EDINBURGH DAYS 31

smoke and a rest, when with a tremendous crash
of breaking glass a great bundle fell through the
roof on the very stool where he had been seated
with head bent forward to his work. His easel
was broken, and the bundle turned out to be a
girl, who had clambered on to the root and was
seriously, though not fatally, injured by her fall
A minute sooner, and Pettie might never have
gone to the south. The picture, fortunately,
escaped damage, and with three other works, was
exhibited at the Scottish Academy in 1868. It
was followed in 1864 by " Who leads a Good Life
is sure to live well," and after that Pettie was not
represented at the annual exhibitions of his native
town till 1871.

During this Edinburgh period, while Pettie
was perhaps happiest when engrossed in his work,
he was also fond of healthy exercise and amuse-
ment When spending his holidays at his East
Linton home, he would work for part of the day,
and would spend the rest of it in boating, or fishing
in the Tyne, or would drag off McTaggart, or any
friend who was staying with him, down through
Binning Wood to bathe in the sea. In Edinburgh
his day was one of incessant work, but on a free
afternoon, with one or more of his fellow-students,

32 JOHN PETTEE

most of them blessed with light hearts and pockets
as light, he would revel in a modest fish dinner at
Newhaven, a stroll round Arthur's Seat, or a
ramble over the Braids. The evenings were given
to recreation, a meeting of the Sketching Club,
to which further reference must be made, or a
social gathering of young artists at his uncle's
house or elsewhere.

In the summer of 1858, he paid his first visit
to London, making a short stay only, and return-
ing by steamer. To judge from a letter, containing
a brief reference to this trip, Turner's landscapes
at the National Gallery made an impression on
him that overpowered all else. About this time,
too, he was becoming fond of music. In 1859 he
writes : " I have so many irons in the fire — begin
to learn the organ scientifically ! "

He was also a keen* volunteer, one of those
who enlisted at the outset of the movement The
circular letter from Colonel Jonathan Peel pro-
posing the organisation of a National Volunteer
Association for promoting the practice of rifle-
shooting was written in May 12, 1859, and the
Association was definitely formed in London on
November 16, 1859. In Edinburgh things moved
even more rapidly, for in a letter written from

EDINBURGH DAYS 3$

India Street in the summer of that year Fettie
says : "Do you hear of the volunteer movement —
Ballantyne ensign ? He was trying to get recruits
among the students, with what success I don't
know. I told him I could not join. 9 At the
time of writing Pettie was just setting out to East
Linton to find models for his two pictures painted
for Messrs. Blackie, and had with regret refused
an invitation from McTaggart to go to Campbel-
town and see something of the herring fishery.
On August 28, 1859, he writes to McTaggart
from East Linton :

As to the Artillery Corps, it is fairly set going. While
here I got repeatedly letters, to see if I would join, from
Cameron, Orchardson, etc., and went in one day to meet
them all at the Military Academy, Lothian Road, where
they are getting just now private drill. Mr. Douglas, the
great mover, told us that the Lord Provost was ready to
embody us when we numbered fifty into an Artillery Corps,,
"The Edinburgh Artillery Corps," I believe. We at that
time were only thirty-two, and in the meantime, till we
collect more, are getting private drill at our own expense
(Is. a week). This drill I can't just now attend, but when
in Edinburgh I will. The night I was there, it was capital.
There were all the artists mostly that were in town, and
would be likely to join — Sam Bough, Drummond, Douglas,
a good many of the young fellows, and one or two engravers.

Will you join ? You must. Such splendid prospects we
have of being stuck behind a stone dyke and peppering

5

84 JOHN PETITE

at an enemy. They talk of the Government fortifying
Inchkeith for us.

The Artists* Company, thus formed, was No. 1
Company (there were nine in all) of the City
Artillery Volunteers. A letter of November 1,
1859, shows that McTaggart was persuaded to
join.

My uniform will be ready on Tuesday. A little private
drill will put you equal with us in no time. Your name is
read out from the roll every night by Lieutenant Faed, and
you are jotted down as "absent," my boy.

The Artists' Company naturally took part in the
great Edinburgh Review on August 7, 1860,
when over 20,000 volunteers marched past the
Queen in the Queen's Park. The Review was in
the afternoon, and during the morning Pettie and
McTaggart were idling about the Half Moon
Battery of Edinburgh Castle. It was characteristic
of Pettie's impulsive nature that, seeing the pre-
parations for the Royal Salute at midday (the
Queen was then at Holyrood), he pulled his
companion along with him, stepped up to the
officer in command, saluted him, explained that
they were gunners, and asked that they might fall
in with his men. The officer was amused, but it
was a special occasion, and he granted their

EDINBURGH DAYS 86

request. So Pettie and McTaggart helped to fire
the Royal Salute on the day of the great Edin-
burgh Review.

These letters written to Mr. McTaggart, from
which it is my privilege to quote, are full of un-
sophisticated youthfulness, but they show glimpses
here and there of the earnest thought and sense of
duty which underlay the writer's humour and high
spirits ; above all, they indicate the calm belief,
which remained unshaken throughout his life, in
the " Providence that shapes our ends." In their
brief, jerky phrases, characteristic of the man, they
tell the tale of his eager enthusiasm, his impulsive-
ness and his ambition. Two or three short extracts
from letters written in 1859 will serve to give an
insight into his character.

I have just written to mother my weekly scribble, egotistical
enough even for her. I daresay it does me good to talk of
my affairs to one who, I'm sure, won't be bored with the
little details ; and I feel ready to commence to-morrow, and
work as if there was nobody else in the world but myself,
perfectly independent. It's a curious feeling, the desire for
sympathy.

R , poor fellow, has a hard struggle, Pm afraid, obliged

to paint photographs. He told me he believed he must give
up all hopes of becoming an artist. It made me melancholy,
and at the same time thankful for my own privileges. I
cant but think that circumstances make or mar the man.

86 JOHN PETTIE

How else can one account for many intelligent and apparently
talented men being found among the unsuccessful? It

frightens me when I meet such. S called the other day.

I don't understand what has taken the ambition out of the
fellow. Undoubtedly he possesses no ordinary talent, and

yet . Are you ever bothered with doubts of your own

ability to get on ? The idea is often present with me that
there is a possibility of commencing well, promising some-
thing, even doing something, and after all sinking into that
most wretched of all men, the unsuccessful artist. I suppose
nothing can assure one but firm purpose to work, and leaving
the rest to Providence. There, Tve talked myself into the
dumps ! !

Another letter to McTaggart, written on Sep-
tember 26, 1859, shows Pettie's grasp of character,
and reveals how from the first George Paul
Chalmers, lovable as he was in temperament, lacked
the grit and backbone which might have made him
one of the greatest of painters.

I am glad you are getting on with your picture well. I
know you will work, and confidently expect something worthy
of you. Isn't it curious, but I don't feel the same confidence
in Chalmers. Fancy ! he tells me he has destroyed what I
thought & good bit, and well done, of his picture, and seems
to have no very clear notion about finishing it before
February. Don't say I said so, but I was very sorry when he
told me, and gave him a regular blowing-up. There's no
depending on the fellow. How valuable to him would be
some of your strength of purpose — zvitt in fact ; for there is
no saying when he does begin his picture again.

EDINBURGH DAYS 87

About the time of writing this letter he was
" pitching into French again " with a view to a
proposed journey abroad. In September 1859, he
writes to McTaggart :

Since I got your letter, I have been a-castle-building.
Of late I have been proposing to myself to see Paris next
year. Just allow your imagination to follow me till I relieve
my mind of a great and glorious idea. Now suppose you
and I get plenty of money for our pictures ; and next suppose,
as a second storey to the castle, that we go up to London
when the R.A. Exhibition opens, and then (third storey) go
right on to Paris ? If I have the money to spare I zvUl go,
but feel crushed a good deal at the idea of not having your
company. It would make the jaunt complete.

Though he sold all the pictures which he ex-
hibited in 1860, the foreign expedition did not
take place till 1862. Perhaps in the meantime
the greater project of burning his boats behind
him and settling in London had begun to stir his
imagination.

CHAPTER II

SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK ILLUSTRATION

In the common life of Lauder's students nothing
was more striking than their unremitting activity.
They lived in an atmosphere of hard, methodical
work. The Antique and Life Classes were held from
eight to ten in the morning, and from six to eight
in the evening. With formal class attendance and
other studies Lauder virtually made them work
twelve hours a day, and nine days out of a fort-
night

They were, however, not men to be daunted by
hard toil. Nearly all came from the poorer walks
of life ; and most had made their sacrifices, broken
down their barriers, and knew well what it meant
to struggle for a foothold. McTaggart had begun
by dispensing drugs in Campbeltown; Joseph
Henderson had started in a hosier's in Edinburgh ;
George Paul Chalmers had been a messenger boy

88

SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK ILLUSTRATION 89

to a doctor, and assistant in a Montrose Store ; and
so it was with most of the rest Nearly all had
been thwarted by a foolish antipathy in their home
circles to art in the abstract, and by hasty convic-
tions, such as that of Drummond uttered before he
studied Pettie's drawings, that business was a solid
thing, while art was something precarious.

The Scottish student, born of the soil, whether
he study Art or the "Humanities," has grit and
endurance for his birthright So these students of
Lauder, not content with the labours of the day,
found an additional outlet for the perfervidum
ingerdum of their race in a Sketching Club, which
met in the evenings. It was formed about 1858,
and among the members were McTaggart, Hugh
Cameron, MacWhirter, Orchardson, and C. E.
Johnson, who, though not one of Lauder's students,
was on terms of close friendship with all. They
gathered in one another's rooms (not always to be
dignified with the title of studio), and the meetings
were easy and unceremonious, made up of happy
work and pleasant intercourse. The proceedings
began with tea, provided by the host of the evening ;
then the subject of the sketch was announced, and
for this between an hour and two hours was the
time allowed. After an interval for examination

40 JOHN PETTIE

and criticism of the sketches, they usually drifted
into a general discussion of some art topic, or else
began the festivities in which students, the wide
world over, find an outlet for youthful spirits. There
were boxing, fencing, single-stick play, and various
acrobatic feats. Then also each man had his song.
What Pettie's was, legend does not state; but
George Paul Chalmers excelled in chanting Shelley's
" Ode to a Skylark," while another special favourite
was "The Twa Corbies." And on one occasion,
when the Club was in danger of dissolution,
Chalmers saved it by the timely reading of a paper
urging its advantages and advocating its continuance.
There was no notion, as in some Sketch Clubs
of to-day, of turning out a finished drawing for
exhibition or for sale. The sole aim was to embody
some motive, to give expression to some one idea, to
point a moral or adorn a tale. A suggestive scribble
was valued more than a meaningless but finished
sketch, and often the final result was achieved by
an hour's thinking and ten minutes' work. Even
in their early days this Scottish coterie displayed a
characteristic leaning towards the dramatic in
episode and incidents. In Mrs. Pettie's possession
are three typical little drawings, made at the Club
in 1860. By Chalmers is the figure of a woman,

SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK ILLUSTRATION 41

seated with head bowed upon a table, while her
arm still hangs listlessly over a letter which has
fallen from her hand upon the floor. It is Sorrow
personified ; and the drawing is full of that subtle
Rembrandtesque feeling of light and shade in which
Chalmers took delight Orchardson's sketch — a
man descending a precipice, while his false friend
crouches above, with knife in hand, in act to cut
the rope — touches a note of sudden tragedy.
Pettie's subject is taken from that fine old Scotch
ballad, " The Twa Corbies " :

As I was walking all alane

I heard twa corbies making a mane :

The tane unto the t'other say,

" Where sail we gang and dine to-day ?

" In behint yon auld fail dyke
I wot their lies a new-slain knight ;
And naebody kens that he lies there,
But his hawk, his hound, and lady fair.

" His hound is to the hunting gane,
His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,
His lady's ta'en another mate,
So we may mak our dinner sweet.

" Yell sit on his white hause-bane,
And I'll pick out his bonny blue een :
Wi' ae lock o' his gowden hair
We'll theek our nest when it grows bare."

The drama and romance of the ballad took
strong hold of his imagination; and twenty-four

42 JOHN PETITE

years later he returned to the subject, painting it
in oil as a gift to his friend, Professor MacCunn of
Liverpool University. In an accompanying letter
it was modestly described as " the ghastly object"
The picture is, of course, more complete than the
early sketch ; the skeleton with its " white hause-
bane " is more clearly indicated ; and some wind-
blown grass on the top of the dyke was touched in
by Peter Graham. In its earlier form, as a slight
sepia sketch, it is full of softness and delicacy. In
fine draughtsmanship and in technique it is singu-
larly like the other sketch by Orchardson, though
perhaps it has more character and expressiveness.
In both the Lauder influence is apparent ; there is
fine drawing without the appearance of any definite
outline ; light and shade are woven into one another,
hard edges melting in the element of atmosphere.

Edinburgh has always been a centre of culture
and a city of clubs. The Sketching Club of
Lauder's pupils had noteworthy predecessors. The
"Douay College " and the "Dilettanti Society " of
the eighteenth century were convivial clubs to
which others besides the artistic fraternity resorted ;
and the "Aesthetic Club," founded in 1851,
embraced theology, philosophy, and science as well
as art ; but " The Smashers," founded in 1848, con-

SKETCHING CLUBS]: BOOK ILLUSTRATION 48

sisted entirely of artists, and was the immediate
forerunner of the club to which Pettie belonged.
Its original members were John Ballantyne, William
Crawford, William Fettes Douglas, John Faed,
Thomas Faed, and James Archer, and its proceed-
ings were much the same as those of the later
society. Its minutes, fully extended in a rough
rhyme, tell of the sketches made, of the theories dis-
cussed in jest or earnest by the members, and give
a delightful glimpse into the artist life of those days.
Fifteen years later, when most of the members
had won name and fame across the Border, the
Smashers' Club was reconstituted in London with
the more dignified title of the " Auld Lang Syne " ;
and Erskine Nicholl, John Stirling, and Andrew
Maclure were added to the roll. Not long ago a
minute-book of its London meetings (now in the
Library of the Royal Scottish Academy) came into
my possession. It is a leather-bound, dumpy little
volume, and the dealer who sold it confessed
frankly enough that it had cost him the ridiculous
sum of one penny at a bookstall in the north of
London. The minutes record that Pettie, Orchard-
son, and Peter Graham were all at times welcomed
as guests. It may be of interest to quote a single
entry :

44 JOHN PETTIE

Friday, 91st December 1866.— The Club met on this eve-
ning at 21 Phillimore Gardens. The subject of the sketch
was "A Situation.*" Two members absent on account of
illness, Mr. John Faed and Mr. Maclure. As it was the last
meeting of the Club that Mr. Douglas 1 was to be present at
(he going to Scotland next week), the host took the liberty of
asking more than the allowed number of guests ; but as they
all belonged to the body of Scottish Artists in London (with
one exception), he trusted that the appropriateness of their
presence would cover his transgression. They were Mr.
Houston, R.S.A., Mr. Pettie, A.R.A., Mr. Orchardson, Mr.
Peter Graham, and Mr. J. D. Watson. The usual toasts
were proposed and drunk, and the non-presence of the absent
members deplored. Mr. Douglas's sad fate was bewailed,
and a dirge sung on the occasion by the ladies. The host
should mention that Mr. Thos. Faed, in his enthusiasm for
the Club, having been ill all day, rose out of bed to be
present ! The meeting, he thinks, was successful, and separ-
ated at the usual hour. James Archer.

In an exactly similar way, the later generation
of Scottish artists, to which Pettie belonged,
revived in London, after a considerable interval,
the Sketching Club of their Edinburgh days. 9
McTaggart and Hutchison had been left in the
north, but with these exceptions the old members
renewed their meetings. New friends, however,
were made in London, and a few fresh members

1 Afterwards Sir William Fcttes Douglas, P.R.S.A.

3 For fuller notes on this and the " Auld Lang Syne " Club, see articles
by the present writer in The Artist (January 1909, with illustrations) and
Chambers's Journal (January 1906).

SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK ILLUSTRATION 45

were enrolled, among the first being Frank Holl,
Colin Hunter, and George Lawson. The Club, as
before, met once a week at the members' houses in
rotation. It was the duty of the host to choose
the subject and his privilege to keep the sketches.
Most of them have, unfortunately, been scattered,
by gift, bargain, or exchange, and many must be in
the hands of owners who have no knowledge of
their origin. Some were recently put up for sale
in a well-known auction-room, and each was
heralded by the auctioneer as a " Langham Club "
sketch ! 'Mrs. Pettie and Mr. C. £. Johnson each
retain a few, bearing dates from 1875 to 1884;
and three, one of them by Pettie, are in my
possession. The sketches were worked in water-
colour, sepia, ink, or pencil, rubbed and smudged
and handled in all manner of ways on paper of
all shades and shapes and sizes. The subject
was usually indicated by a single word — "Joy,"
"Sorrow," "Destruction," "Frolic," "Childhood,"
and so forth. Occasionally the landscape men were
given a better chance, as in " Black and White," or
" A Cold Morning," though it is wonderful to note
how successfully they tackled such a subject as
"Destruction." C. E. Johnson illustrates it with
a shipwreck, while MacWhirter depicts a burning

46

JOHN PETITE

castle — the dark mass of ruins and some withered
trees against the lurid glare of the sky, making a
fine piece of composition and colour. In Pettie's
case the subject inspired a powerful drawing of
Palissy seated despondently before his furnace door
with his pottery lying in shattered fragments on
the ground.

There was another night when "Lo, the poor
Indian/' or at any rate something that suggested
the Wild West, was the theme proposed. A bold
sketch in sepia by Orchardson shows a proud
warrior chief who has been fleeing before a prairie
fire. He sits astride of the horse that has sunk
beneath him, and turns resolute to face his ap-
proaching doom. Petties is a humorous, fanciful
sketch in sepia and charcoal of a Red Indian
waving his scalping knife in the wild abandon of the
war-dance. The figure, lit by the glare of the fire
before which he dances, stands out finely against
the dark background of the forest primeval. In a
fighting scene, dated 1878, Pettie had the kind of
subject in which he took the keenest delight
Two Highland chiefs, with their retainers, have
met in a narrow lane, and with targe and claymore
are fiercely disputing the right to the "head of the
causeway. 1 * There is a strong similarity between

SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK ILLUSTRATION 47

this sketch, with its vivid suggestion of i
and the background of the picture, "The Clnh
of Steel," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1888.
Indeed, many of the sketches made at these evening
meetings were worked out later on a larger scale
Pettie's « Challenge," HoITs " Child's Funeral," and
many another picture had their origin in an hour's
sketch, done on the spur of the moment, at some
meeting of the Club.

No minutes were kept, but a joint letter written
by the members of the Club, to offer their sympathy
to Mrs. Collie, on the death of her son George
Paul Chalmers, serves as an interesting record of
one meeting at which general sadness prevailed :

The Sracmve Cur*, Lrocnnr,
Z3rt FAnmry 187*.

Dear Madam — In great sadness we desire to offer you our
most heartfelt and tender sympathy in the affliction which
has so suddenly overtaken yon. We feel how little good
mere words can do to soothe, in presence of this great
calamity, nor will we even attempt to express our own
feelings, or the sense of our heavy loss, but can only assure
you that we mourn in common, you a dear and devoted son,
and we a brother.

John Burr. George A. Lawsox,

Thomas Graham. J. MacWhirter.

Frank Holl. W. Q. Orchardsok.

Colin Hunter. John Pettis.

C £. Johnson. F. R. Stock.

46 JOHN PETTIE

castle — the dark mass of ruins and some withered
trees against the lurid glare of the sky, making a
fine piece of composition and colour. In Pettie's
case the subject inspired a powerful drawing of
Palissy seated despondently before his furnace door
with his pottery lying in shattered fragments on
the ground.

There was another night when "Lo, the poor
Indian/' or at any rate something that suggested
the Wild West, was the theme proposed. A bold
sketch in sepia by Orchardson shows a proud
warrior chief who has been fleeing before a prairie
fire. He sits astride of the horse that has sunk
beneath him, and turns resolute to face his ap-
proaching doom. Pettie's is a humorous, fanciful
sketch in sepia and charcoal of a Bed Indian
waving his scalping knife in the wild abandon of the
war-dance. The figure, lit by the glare of the fire
before which he dances, stands out finely against
the dark background of the forest primeval. In a
fighting scene, dated 1878, Pettie had the kind of
subject in which he took the keenest delight
Two Highland chiefs, with their retainers, have
met in a narrow lane, and with targe and claymore
are fiercely disputing the right to the "head of the
causeway." There is a strong similarity between

SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK ILLUSTRATION 47

this sketch, with its vivid suggestion of movement,
and the background of the picture, "The Clash
of Steel," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1888.
Indeed, many of the sketches made at these evening
meetings were worked out later on a larger scale.
Pettier « Challenge," Holl's " Child's Funeral," and
many another picture had their origin in an hour's
sketch, done on the spur of the moment, at some
meeting of the Club.

No minutes were kept, but a joint letter written
by the members of the Club, to offer their sympathy
to Mrs. Collie, on the death of her son George
Paul Chalmers, serves as an interesting record of
one meeting at which general sadness prevailed :

The Sketching Club, London,
23rrf February 1878.

Dear Madam — In great sadness we desire to offer you our
most heartfelt and tender sympathy in the affliction which
has so suddenly overtaken you. We feel how little good
mere words can do to soothe, in presence of this great
calamity, nor will we even attempt to express our own
feelings, or the sense of our heavy loss, but can only assure
you that we mourn in common, you a dear and devoted son,
and we a brother.

John Burr. George A. Lawson.

Thomas Graham. J. MacWhirter.

Frank Holl. W. Q. Orchardson.

Colin Hunter. John Pettie.

C. £. Johnson. F. R, Stock.

46 JOHN PETTIE

castle — the dark mass of ruins and some withered
trees against the lurid glare of the sky, making a
fine piece of composition and colour. In Pettie's
case the subject inspired a powerful drawing of
Palissy seated despondently before his furnace door
with his pottery lying in shattered fragments on
the ground.

There was another night when w Lo, the poor
Indian," or at any rate something that suggested
the Wild West, was the theme proposed. A bold
sketch in sepia by Orchardson shows a proud
warrior chief who has been fleeing before a prairie
fire. He sits astride of the horse that has sunk
beneath him, and turns resolute to face his ap-
proaching doom. Pettie's is a humorous, fanciful
sketch in sepia and charcoal of a Bed Indian
waving his scalping knife in the wild abandon of the
war-dance. The figure, lit by the glare of the fire
before which he dances, stands out finely against
the dark background of the forest primeval In a
fighting scene, dated 1878, Pettie had the kind of
subject in which he took the keenest delight.
Two Highland chiefs, with their retainers, have
met in a narrow lane, and with targe and claymore
are fiercely disputing the right to the " head of the
causeway/' There is a strong similarity between

SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK ILLUSTRATION 47

this sketch, with its vivid suggestion of movement,
and the background of the picture, "The Clash
of Steel," exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1888.
Indeed, many of the sketches made at these evening
meetings were worked out later on a larger scale.
Pettie's "Challenge," Holl's " Child's Funeral," and
many another picture had their origin in an hour's
sketch, done on the spur of the moment, at some
meeting of the Club.

No minutes were kept, but a joint letter written
by the members of the Club, to offer their sympathy
to Mrs. Collie, on the death of her son George
Paul Chalmers, serves as an interesting record of
one meeting at which general sadness prevailed :

The Sketching Club, London,
23rd February 1878.

Dear Madam — In great sadness we desire to offer you our
most heartfelt and tender sympathy in the affliction which
has so suddenly overtaken you. We feel how little good
mere words can do to soothe, in presence of this great
calamity, nor will we even attempt to express our own
feelings, or the sense of our heavy loss, but can only assure
you that we mourn in common, you a dear and devoted son,
and we a brother.

John Burr. George A. Lawson.

Thomas Graham. J. MacWhirter.

Frank Holl. W. Q. Orchardson.

Colin Hunter. John Pettie,

C. £. Johnson. F. R. Stock.

46 JOHN PETTIE

castle — the dark mass of ruins and some withered
trees against the lurid glare of the sky, making a
fine piece of composition and colour. In Pettie's
case the subject inspired a powerful drawing of
Palissy seated despondently before his furnace door
with his pottery lying in shattered fragments on
the ground.

There was another night when "Lo, the poor
Indian/ 9 or at any rate something that suggested
the Wild West, was the theme proposed. A bold
sketch in sepia by Orchardson shows a proud
warrior chief who has been fleeing before a prairie
fire. He sits astride of the horse that has sunk
beneath him, and turns resolute to face his ap-
proaching doom. Pettie's is a humorous, fanciful
sketch in sepia and charcoal of a Red Indian
waving his scalping knife in the wild abandon of the
war-dance. The figure, lit by the glare of the fire
before which he dances, stands out finely against
the dark background of the forest primeval In a
fighting scene, dated 1878, Pettie had the kind of
subject in which he took the keenest delight
Two Highland chiefs, with their retainers, have
met in a narrow lane, and with targe and claymore
are fiercely disputing the right to the " head of the
causeway." There is a strong similarity between

SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK ILLUSTRATION 47

this sketch, with its vivid suggestion of movement,
and the background of the picture, "The Clash
of Steel/* exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1888*
Indeed, many of the sketches made at these evening
meetings were worked out later on a larger scale.
Pettie's « Challenge," Holl's " Child's Funeral," and
many another picture had their origin in an hour's
sketch, done on the spur of the moment, at some
meeting of the Club.

No minutes were kept, but a joint letter written
by the members of the Club, to offer their sympathy
to Mrs. Collie, on the death of her son George
Paul Chalmers, serves as an interesting record of
one meeting at which general sadness prevailed :

The Sketching Club, London,
23rd February 1878.

Dear Madam — In great sadness we desire to offer you our
most heartfelt and tender sympathy in the affliction which
has so suddenly overtaken you. We feel how little good
mere words can do to soothe, in presence of this great
calamity, nor will we even attempt to express our own
feelings, or the sense of our heavy loss, but can only assure
you that we mourn in common, you a dear and devoted son,
and we a brother.

John Burr. George A. Lawson.

Thomas Graham. J. MacWhirter.

Frank Holl. W. Q. Orcharoson.

Colin Hunter. John Pettie.

C. £. Johnson. F. R. Stock.

48 JOHN PETITE

Frank Holl for many years was an energetic
secretary of the Club, but after his death it
gradually dissolved. Among its later members
were Abbey, Parsons, David Murray, and Gregory,
so that to the end its brilliance was maintained.
But the bread and cheese and the pipes of the older
days had given place to the champagne dinners
and cigars of Fitzjohn's Avenue and Melbury
Road, amid spacious surroundings, tapestries and
armour, and curios rich and rare. You look at the
sketches on these odds and ends of paper, bringing
back that studio atmosphere of mingled paint and
tobacco — surely the sweetest scent the world has
ever known 1 — but you like best those of the early
days, done in the dingy rooms of the north, by men
who worked in sober earnest, still with all the
world before them, still with castles in Spain
appearing through the smoke.

To these early days belongs another class of
black-and-white work, in which Pettie showed
high prowess. His book illustrations date from
the opening years of that golden decade, which in
the history of illustrated books is always familiarly
known as "The Sixties." The wood-cuts of the
period were an original and beautiful contribution
to European art The "Moxon" Tennyson of

SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK ILLUSTRATION 49

1857, with its famous illustrations by the Pre-
Raphaelites, inaugurated a new era, and a great
revival of artistic illustration set in with the estab-
lishment of such periodicals as Once a Week and
Good Words. The latter was a popular semi-
religious magazine, which quickly achieved a
record-breaking circulation. It was founded in
1860 by Alexander Strahan, who was fortunate in
his choice of Dr. Norman Macleod as its editor.
For two years it was printed by Constable, and
published in Edinburgh, but the volume for
1862 was issued from headquarters in London.
Orchardson is among the illustrators of volume L
Pettie appears in volume iL, with two drawings
which show promise, but no outstanding power.

In volume iii. the list of artists has been extended,
and Pettie appears in goodly company with Millais,
Keene, Sandys, Whistler, Burne- Jones, Boyd
Houghton, Tenniel, and others. It was a note-
worthy group, and one doubts whether any
periodical since has ever had so many brilliant stars
among its illustrators. A good subject was offered
to Pettie by a story, What sent me to Sea, and
there is fine sympathy in his drawing of the old
sailor and the country lad who "built a whole
fleet of ships of every rig, from a frigate to a

60 JOHN PETTIE

cutter/' No doubt the background was sought in
the workshop of the village carpenter at East
Linton. In The Country Surgeon he shows a grow-
ing power of draughtsmanship and composition.
This is one of the best illustrations he produced.
The stooping figure, in loose coat and top boots, is
drawn with fine swing of line and with the dramatic
sense, which to the end remained characteristic of
the man. In volume iv., 1868, an illustration to
The Monks and the Heathen, by Charles Kingsley,
tells how " Sturmi took him a trusty ass, and, axe
in hand, rode away into the wild woods, singing
his psalms," There is something very fresh and
attractive in this drawing, particularly in its uncon-
ventional arrangement Pettie himself must have
liked it, for some years later, in 1868, he painted
the subject on a much larger scale, making slight
alterations in the monk's head, the position of the
axe, and other details. In the same volume a story
called The Passion Flowers of Life inspired a fine
study of an old man, probably drawn from the
artist's father, seated in a creeper-clad porch, with
a child on his knees. An illustration to A Touch
of Nature pictures how "the Harlequin Boy usually
kept at a slight distance from the procession," and
is again charming in its sense of selection and its

THE MONK STURMI IN SEARCH OF A MONASTERY SITE
(Site of original, 21 X 15*. >

SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK IIXUSTRATTON 51

subtle power of line. It reaches a concentrated
effect by balance of mass and a few simple notes —
you see here, as it were, the skeleton of one of his
pictures. Three other drawings of 1868, though
all good in their way, call for no special comment ;
nor does particular interest attach to the single
tail -piece contributed to the yolume for 1864.
Mr. Gleeson White, not a warm admirer of Petties
paintings, says of these illustrations in his standard
work on English Illustration: the Sixties, that "to
a later generation, who only know the pictures of
the Royal Academician, these come as a surprise,
and prove the versatility of an artist whose punting
was somewhat mannered."

In 1864 Pettie practically abandoned book-
illustration in order to give all his energies to paint.
It is characteristic of him, and proof of his readiness
to appreciate others' work, that in reply to. his
publisher's appeals he should have said, "Look
here, Strahan, you take my word, and pin your
faith on Pinwell, Walker, and Small ; they're doing
better work than I can give you." The publisher
was not wise in time, for after 1865 there was
a growing tendency to illustrate by means of
engravings from photographs, and Good Words
lost much of its artistic interest After many lean

52 JOHN PETITE

years there was a notable revival in the volume
for 1878, in which William Black's MacLeod of
Hare was illustrated by Pettie, Boughton, Peter
Graham, Orchardson, Millais, and T. Faed, a
group that recalls the glory of the early issues.
Pettie s illustration of a single figure in the shadow
of a doorway has the full chiaroscuro of a paint-
ing ; but one feels that the interpretation of light
and shade into line has been left to the engraver,
whereas the early work was done in pure line,
reproduced as directly and sympathetically as the
engraver could or would. That in most cases the
drawings suffered, there can be little doubt. After
the appearance of Good Words for January 1868,
with his illustration to The Monks and the Heathen,
Pettie writes :

Glad you liked my monk. I wish you had seen the
drawing. The head is ruined \ The rest is good, but I
would not have known the head as mine. Isn't it pro-
voking ?

Rossetti, on the same point, wrote a memorable
letter to W. Bell Scott :

I have designed five blocks for Tennyson. It is a thank-
less task. After a fortnight's work my block goes to the
engraver, like Agag delicately, and is hewn in pieces before
the Lord Harry.

SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK ILLUSTRATION 58

Address to Dalziel Brothers

O woodman, spare that block,

O gash not anyhow !
It took ten days by clock,

I'd fain protect it now.

Chorus — Wild laughter from Dahriels' workshop.

A few more drawings contributed to periodical
literature remain to be noted. In an illustration
to the Sunday Magazine for 1867 his hand seems
to have lost its cunning, and the drawing is some-
what laboured. Perhaps it was done under
compulsion ; perhaps it was " hewn in pieces " by
the engraver. Nor has an illustration in the
following year to Philip Claytons First-Born, in
the same paper, the fire and dash of his earlier
work. To Good Words for the Young, 1869, he
contributed some small illustrations, not of special
distinction. The Boys ofAxleford, by G. Camden,
to which some of them belong, was issued in book
form in the same year.

An earlier book for which he supplied illustra-
tions was The Postman s Bag, and other Stories*
by J. de Liefde, published in Edinburgh by Strahan
in 1862. Among Pettie's drawings are three for
The Golden Cup, and one each for Charles Cologne-
Pot, Three Boys, and The Open Door. Other

64 JOHN PETTIE

artists of the Scottish School shared in the illustra-
tions, but Pettie's work is certainly the finest in
the volume, showing freedom and sympathy of
line, with a natural sense of decoration in filling a
given space. The figures in The Three Boys and
The Open Door are delightfully natural, and it is
unfortunate that the fine pen lines should have
been blurred by poor reproduction in lithography.
Another noteworthy volume of the period is
Wordsworth's Poems for the Young, published by
Strahan in 1868, with a vignette frontispiece by
Millais, and illustrations by MacWhirter and Pettie.
It may be said, without the least disparagement to
the fine landscape drawing of his companion, that
Pettie s six illustrations are the most striking in
the book. The Idle Shepherd Boys, forexample,
is a charming and spirited piece of work, with fine
play of line and marked power of selection. Touches
of Nature, published by Strahan in 1866, contains
illustrations reprinted from among those already
mentioned.

One final book illustration Pettie supplied to
the Christmas number of Longman's Magazine
for 1884. Among the other artists who supplied
drawings (rather inadequately reproduced in colour
from wood-blocks) were Walter Crane, Richard

SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK ILLUSTRATION 66

Doyle, Marcus Stone, and Birket Foster. Pettie's
pretty maiden in an arm-chair, an illustration to
Bret Harte's Sarah Walker, suffers considerably
in reproduction, particularly in the crude reds and
yellows of the hair. The original painting in oil
is full of life and fine colour.

It was in colour that Fettie found his most
natural method of expression. None the less, his
black-and-white work for illustrations exhibits a
bold freedom of line and lightness of handling that
make it notable even at a period when the art of
book-illustration was passing through one of its
most distinguished phases. His work was some-
times trifling or commonplace, mainly because it was
done hastily to accompany commonplace text, but, as
a rule, it was always free, spirited, and suggestive.

Another proof of the versatility which struck
Gleeson White is given by Pettie's work as an
etcher. About 1878 he became a member of
" The Etching Club," a small society which in its
earlier days did much to revive in England the lost
art of etching. It was originally formed by a few
Royal Academicians and water-colour painters, who
supped once a month in each others houses in the
same jovial but simple fashion as the Sketching
Club. From time to time, beginning with The

66 JOHN PETITE

Deserted Village, in 1841, they produced a hand-
some volume illustrated by their etchings, or else
a portfolio of independent work. Among the
original members who contributed to Tlie Deserted
Village were T. Webster, R. Redgrave, J. C.
Horsley, C. W. Cope, F. Tayler and H. J.
Townsend. When Pettie joined the Club, Cope,
Horsley, and Redgrave still survived. Among
fresh additions to its ranks had been Samuel Palmer,
who joined about 1850, J. C. Hook, Holman Hunt,
and Millais ; but even with the infusion of new
blood, the Club only lingered till about 1880.
With few exceptions its members were painters
first and foremost, looking to etching not as an
original and independent art, but as a means of
obtaining the full effect of a picture. Many of
them — Pettie, I think, for certain — probably knew
nothing of technique, of the joy and drudgery of
biting, stopping out, scraping and burnishing,
of the real tussle with what Samuel Palmer
described as the "teasing, temper-trying, yet
fascinating copper " ; and they certainly knew
nothing of the intricate art of printing. In the
later days they drew on the copper-plate served
out, with the ground ready laid, by the secretary,
who in many cases "did the rest."

SKETCHING CLUBS: BOOK ILLUSTRATION 57

To a portfolio of etchings published by the Club
in 1879 Pettie made two contributions. Seeing
that he is known to have handled the etching
needle on four copper-plates only — one of them
experimental, with rough sketches of himself, some
armour, etc. — they show singular appreciation of
the power of the etched line, its delicacy and its
strength. One of them, " At Bay," is based upon
the oil-painting of 1878, " A Moment of Danger,"
here illustrated; in the etching the Highlander
stands alone, a dignified figure against the dark
mouth of the cave. The other subject also repro-
duces an oil-painting of 1878, "The Highland
Outpost," now in the possession of Mrs. Orchar at
Dundee. Two years later he contributed an
illustration to The Abdication, or Time Tries All:
a Play in Three Acts, by W. D. Scott-Moncrieff,
with etchings by J. Pettie, W. Q. Orchardson, J.
MacWhirter, Colin Hunter, R. W. Macbeth, and
Tom Graham (Chatto and Windus, 1881). Pettie's
etching, strong and direct, one of the best in the
volume, depicts a French ambassador approaching
Queen Mary's camp with a white flag — "May't
please your Grace to speak with one who speaks
for France and you." The subject found favour
with Pettie, for he set to work in the same year on

8

68 JOHN PETITE

an oil-painting, " A White Flag," which is closely
akin to the etching. The same pose and the same
fling of the open hand, possibly a little awkward,
but dramatically suggestive, appear later in " The
Ultimatum,"

In this record of Pettie's book illustrations and
work done at the Sketching Clubs to which he
belonged, we have traversed rapidly a period of
years, during which he had gained repute in
London as one of the foremost painters of the
Royal Academy. It is time to retrace our steps
to where we left him in Edinburgh, one of Lauder's
most promising pupils, still on the threshold of his
career.

CHAPTER III

LONDON AND THE ACADEMY

Pettie's strong and ambitious nature called for
the stimulus of the fullest competition. He panted
for larger air, and thrilled to test his wings in longer
and nobler flight The success of his " Armourers "
and "What d'ye lack?" at the Royal Academy
still further incited him to try his fortunes in the
south.

Another thing that influenced him was the
removal to London of the headquarters of Good
Words. It was not his main reason, but there can
be no doubt that Mr. Strahan's offer of steady com-
missions for illustrations was a strong inducement
to him to take a step which was naturally something
of a venture. The £10 apiece which he got for his
drawings on the wood block was more than suffi-
cient to keep the wolf from the door and to ensure
that independence of his parents which he was the

59

60 JOHN PETTIE

first to desire. Mr. Strahan, a hale and hearty
veteran, is still alive to tell the tale of how Pettie
would come to his office at 82 Ludgate Hill and
bear away a manuscript or some sheets of proof.
Opposite to the office was a restaurant, of a type
made popular now, but rare in those days, where
tea, coffee, and moderate refreshments were supplied
on marble tables. Pettie, with a cup of coffee
before him, a friendly pipe in his mouth, would
choose his subject; then, taking a pencil, would
dash down his ideas, with frequent obliterations,
on the marble surface, and hurry homewards with
a clear and concise notion for his drawing on the
block. In London, as in Edinburgh, he was
"always on the trot."

The year 1862, then, found Pettie sharing a
house at 62 Stanley Street, Pimlico, with Orchard-
son, who had come south some time before, and
with Tom Graham. The Post-Office Directory
knows Stanley Street, Pimlico, no more; it has
vanished or changed its name. One pictures it as
a narrow street, one of many such in that neigh-
bourhood, which had seen better days — a street of
drab, dingy houses, uniform in their doorsteps, their
area railings, their cards in the window announcing
"Apartments to Let" From Stanley Street he

LONDON AND THE ACADEMY 61

sent to the Royal Academy his "Sub-Prior and
Edward Glendinning," illustrating the scene in Sir
Walter Scott's Monastery where the penitent con-
fesses his joy at hearing of the supposed death of
the euphuist, Sir Fiercie Shafton, and his sorrow
at his unexpected restoration. From the Academy
this picture went on to the Glasgow Institute.
An anecdote about it, told by Mr. Pinnington in
his Life of G. P. Chalmers, supplies an interesting
note of its history, and reveals the sleepless persist-
ency of the born collector. The late Dr. Blair
Spence of Dundee, while on a visit to Glasgow
in 1862, saw the "Sub-Prior" and Chalmers's
"Miserere Mei" (now in the Scottish National
Gallery), and noted in the fine colour and dexterous
brushwork of the two unknown painters a fore-
shadowing of future mastery. He made inquiries
about both pictures, but though an enthusiast
about painting he was still young in his own pro-
fession, and the price, small as it was, doomed him
to disappointment Twenty to thirty years passed.
Chalmers was dead ; Pettie was an Academician at
the height of his career ; but Dr. Blair Spence still
remembered the two works which had stirred his
youthful enthusiasm, and at last gathered them
both into his own possession.

68 JOHN PETITE

In the autumn of 1862 the promised foreign trip
took shape. With Tom Graham and Chalmers,
Pettie made an excursion to Brittany, from which
all of them brought back happy memories. They
rambled about in a leisurely way on foot, enjoying
the new scenery, the fresh life and character on the
highways and byways along which they passed,
and in the out-of-the-way nooks into which they
stumbled. Graham, to whom the ground was
familiar, acted as guide. They did not visit Paris
(so that Pettie s first ambition still remained unful-
filled) and they saw no pictures. Many sketches
were made, some of which resulted in pictures
exhibited after their return. In 1868 and 1864
Chalmers showed " The Favourite Air," " Brittany
Peasants," and " A Peasant of Brittany." A relic
of Pettie s share in the tour is his picture of
"Brittany Minstrels," exhibited at the Royal Scot-
tish Academy in 1868. Two musicians, shod in
wooden sabots and wearing broad belts on yellow
tinted garments, are performing on the flageolet;
the bright corsage of a female figure gives a note of
light to the dark room in which they sit. The pic-
ture is in the Corporation Art Gallery at Glasgow. 1

1 For some time it bore the title of " The Musicians,** with a somewhat
misleading description in the catalogue. It is now rightly described.

LONDON AND THE ACADEMY 68

A letter of this period, written from Stanley
Street, shows the writer well established in London
and making strides in his profession, though he still
breakfasts upon tea and bread-and-butter, and
speaks with humour, not unmixed with a little
envy, of another young artist, who dresses for the
evening, and follows his dinner with coffee and a
cigar.

[January 1863.]

I have to thank you for letting me know that Mr. Craig
is inclined to speculate in one of my pictures. The fact is I
have nothing now, and am just going to begin a picture for the
R. A. I must take all the remaining time to it, or it will have
no chance whatever of admittance. Besides this, I have agreed
to supply Strahan with a number of wood blocks, monthly,
so my time is taken up too much to have anything to sell
for two or three months. Will Craig allow me to reserve his
order ? I have just finished a little picture of Brittany pipers,
which I must offer to a gentleman in Edinburgh who gave
me a commission.

Towards the close of 1868, Pettie, Orchardson,
and Tom Graham, taking C. £. Johnson in their
company, moved from Pimlico to 87 Fitzroy Square,
a house afterwards tenanted by Ford Madox Brown
and Andrew Gow successively. The house was on
the south side of the Square, and its high-pitched
rooms, with tall windows admitting a north light,
were well adapted to the uses of a studio. Christina

64 JOHN PETITE

Rossetti, writing later to Mrs. Gilchrist, speaks of
the house as a large and handsome one, adding that
she went there one day to see Madox Brown's
"'Coat of many Colours,' a very noble work."
The great stone staircase has rung to the feet
of many of historic name, for among Madox
Brown's constant visitors were Rossetti, Burne-
Jones, Holman Hunt, William Morris, Theodore
Watts-Dunton, Whistler, Fred Walker, Pinwell,
and many more. The south and east sides of the
Square — it is now a home of hospitals and institutes
— were built by the brothers Adam ; and in 1815, on
their completion, the buildings had, to quote a con-
temporary record, "a greater portion of architectural
embellishment than most others in the metropolis."
The Square, with its grandiose apartments, had
once been the aristocratic centre of its day ; and
now that it was no longer a fashionable quarter,
artists were quick to see the advantage of its roomy
residences with their moderate rent Sir William
Ross, the miniature painter, lived at No. 88, and died
there in 1860. Sir Charles Eastlake, the President
of the Academy, lived at No. 7 from his marriage
in 1849 till his death in 1865. Mr. Clasvtnce
Dobell, brother of Sydney Dobell, the poet, had a
studio in Grafton Street near by, and immediately

LONDON AND THE ACADEMY 65

opposite to him was Edward Poynter (now Sir
Edward), whose studio was a meeting-place for
Leighton, Watts, Du Maurier, and other rising
artists of the day.

In the upper rooms of 87 Fitzroy Square (known
to their friends as "The Barracks"), with light
hearts and brave spirits, the four lived a happy,
very Bohemian existence. The odds and ends of
furniture which they pooled between them, flotsam
and jetsam from second-hand shops and deserted
studios, were quaint and curious. Mr. Johnson to
this day preserves a table which served occasion-
ally for meals; its battered surface bears their
initials hacked upon it, and shows gaps whence
toothpicks were removed. Over the sketches
that littered the floor ran guinea-pigs, and white
rats that loved the warmth of a friendly sleeve.
The general factotum was one Joe Wall, an old
model of Landseer and Frith, who had been a
prize-fighter, and gloried in the remembrance
of his celebrated encounter with the "Skinny
Butcher * of Bermondsey. He scrubbed, cleaned,
and mended for them; he gave them lessons in
the noble science ; and he sat for their pictures.
His figure is prominent in Pettie's "Drum-head
Court-Martial" and other works of this period.

66 JOHN PETT1E

The fece of the disappointed swain in " Rejected
Addresses " is an exact likeness of him. And in a
Catalogue of the International Exhibition of 1873
I find a picture by John Phillip, R. A. — " Portrait
of Joe Wall. Painted in 1845. Lent by Mr. J.
Wall" There could be only one Joe Wall, the
friend of artists ; and this must be he. It would
have been a privilege to know him in his declining
years, for what tales he could have told of the
prize-ring, and of the young heroes of art, whom
he had "done for/' or whose model he had
been I

They were the truest and heartiest of friends,
and with the true spirit of socialism they had all
things in common. Their cash-box was the open
drawer of a writing-table in one of the studios,
where bank-notes, gold, silver, and copper were
mixed in cheerful confusion with bottles of varnish
and tubes of colour. An English artist, Mr. Cole-
man, who lived on the ground floor, was known
as the millionaire of the establishment, and cashed
any cheques that appeared upon the scene. Pettie,
who usually had most funds, was nominally the
banker, but any one who wanted cash had but to
say so, and was sent to the drawer to rout out as
much as he required. When they first settled in

LONDON AND THE ACADEMY 67

the house they took pride in pointing out armorial
bearings, of a baronet's hand and dagger, carved
in the stone above the outer door. But there was
wrath and indignation when the ambassador of a
brutal and prosaic Government demanded that
they should pay a tax for the escutcheon. " The
Barracks" was very delightful in health, but very
desolate in illness. Fettie always cherished a grate-
ful remembrance of the kindness with which Mr.
Dobell nursed him through an attack of jaundice,
on an occasion when his three house-mates were
scattered upon holiday.

Mr. Clarence Dobell, at the time of his first
introduction to the Fitzroy Square m&nage 9 had
studied in the Royal Academy Schools, and was
a constant visitor at Foynter s house, where he
held frequent intercourse with Leighton, Watts,
and the rest His general ideas regarding art,
he tells me, were at the time entirely moulded
and influenced by what he heard and saw of
the young English School of that day. He
abandoned London and the arts in 1865, so that
he is peculiarly able to give a clear-cut impression,
from an Englishman's point of view, without
relation to future events and developments, of the
advent of the new generation of Scotsmen, and of

68 JOHN PETTIE

the place they took amid their English surroundings.
From some reminiscences he has kindly sent me,
the following passage must be given in his own
words:

I knew nothing of the Edinburgh School of artists, and
had never heard of either Orchardson, Pettie, or of either
of the Grahams ; but my brother, Sydney Dobell, the poet,
had lately spent some years in Edinburgh society, and he
had introduced me to Mr. James Archer, U.S.A., who had
removed from Edinburgh to London with the idea of trying
his fortunes in the larger capital. Mr. Archer had taken
a house in one of the streets near Fitzroy Square, and one
day Mrs. Archer wrote and asked me to dine with them to
meet three Scotch artists, friends of Archer's, who had
followed his example and had come up to London with the
intention of settling there. I remember thinking that they
were very unwise to imagine that they had any chance against
the many wonderful men of genius, who, I already knew,
had a difficult struggle to obtain an income — men who had
studied under some of the best masters in Paris and Rome,
and who were not sure of having their pictures hung by the
Royal Academicians or purchased by the picture-dealers.

Well, I went to the dinner, and the three guests were
Orchardson, Pettie, and Tom Graham. They made such an
impression on my mind that I remember that evening as
though it were yesterday. The brilliant conversation of
Orchardson, the strong sense of Pettie, and the calm con-
fidence of Tom Graham delighted and astonished me. I
was delighted by their originality, simplicity, and friendliness;
and astonished at their evident assurance of the certain
success of their enterprise! They spoke in the coolest
manner of the weakness of the Art leaders of London, and

THE STEP
(Site of original, 81} x 48.)

LONDON AND THE ACADEMY 69

were clearly well satisfied that their own school of art was
certain to be welcomed both by the picture-dealers and the
public. They very warmly bade me welcome to come to their
diggings whenever I liked, an invitation which I as warmly
accepted.

Directly I saw their work I recognised that here was
something quite new and original, unlike any of the schools
represented by London artists, and that it was not only new,
but that it had undoubted value of its own, and was allied
to some qualities that I remembered to have observed in the
old masters. The young English painters of that day were
so anxious to crowd all they could into a little space in
order to have a better chance of being "hung on the line,"
that they deemed it a sign of exceptional skill to arrange
a group so that the heads nearly touched the top of the
picture and the feet stood on the lower edge of the frame,
while the background was crowded into the intermediate
spaces. The Scotchmen laughed at these artifices, delighted
to surround their figures with illimitable spaces, and boldly
declared that the R.A/s dared not reject them ; and to our
amazement they were right. The pictures were hung, and
not only hung but sold, and the dealers clamoured for more.
In a single season Orchardson and Pettie were marked men
and made men.

The main difference between the Scotsmen and
their English contemporaries and predecessors, as
Mr. Dobell indicates, was not merely one of colour
and execution. They were among the first to
relieve the congestion that characterised the mid-
century pictures, by letting atmosphere into their
work. They broke away from Pre-Raphaelite

70 JOHN PETITE

influence, neglecting all insignificant details, and
summarising largely and boldly what was essential.
They strove to catch the play of light upon surfaces
and textures, and to render the transparent qualities
of atmosphere. If they painted an interior, they
painted not only the outward and visible aspect of
the room, the furniture, the figures, but the air
and space in which they moved. To those used to
the crowded canvases of the Pre-Raphaelites, and
accustomed to admire the harsh studio -painted
details of Leslie, Egg, Maclise, and the rest, the
pictures of the young Scotsmen seemed bare and
unfurnished. Their finished work was regarded
lightly as an airy or animated sketch. A glance
at the newspapers of the period shows how the
contemporary critic was struck by the apparent
" emptiness " of their work. For years the
Atlterweum heaped abuse upon them, culminating
in 1874, on Pettie's election as an Academician,
with a "shudder at the prospects of English art,
which he is expected to take the fortieth part in
controlling and directing." " Another member of
the Royal Academy,' 9 adds the critic of that date,
" but one who has not yet in any respect reached
Mr. Pettie, is Mr. Orchardson. He has this year
favoured us with four large sketches — it would be

LONDON AND THE ACADEMY 71

unjust to call them pictures — of the slightest, most
theatrical and flimsy kind." All this sounds reck*
less or spiteful, yet it was doubtless the writer's
honest conviction. Time, at any rate, brought its
revenges.

In 1875, after a silence of fifteen years, Ruskin
renewed his Royal Academy Notes, and followed
a similar line of criticism :

Mr. Pettie, a man of reed feeling and great dramatic
force, is ruining himself by shallow notions of chiaroscuro.
If he had not been mimicking Rembrandt he would never
have vulgarised the real pathos and most subtle expression
of his * Jacobites ' by the slovenly dark background, corre-
sponding virtually to the slouched hat of a theatrical con-
spirator. I have been examining the painting of the chief
Jacobite's face very closely. It is nearly as good as a piece
of old William Hunt, but Hunt never loaded his paint,
except in sticks, and moss, and such-like. Now there's a
wrinkle quite essential to the expression under the Jacobite's
eye, got by a projecting ridge of paint, instead of a proper
dark line. Rembrandt's bad bricklayer's work, with all the
mortar sticking out at the edges, may be pardonable in a
Dutchman sure of his colours ; but it is always licentious.

The " absolute ruler of taste in the 'sixties " never
wrote a falser piece of criticism. This is Ruskin
in the mood which prompted him to write of
Whistler "flinging a pot of paint in the public's
face " ; of Constable's " spotting and splashing," of

72 JOHN PETTIE

his "perceiving only in a landscape that the grass
is wet, the meadows flat, and the boughs shady;
that is to say, about as much as, I suppose, might
in general be apprehended, between them, by an
intelligent fawn and a skylark." I remember an
argument arising between Pettie and Professor
MacCunn of Liverpool University. The professor
of political economy had no good word for
Ruskins writings on his own subject ; he revelled
in his philosophy of art. The painter said : "When
Ruskin writes about art, I can't abide him. When
he writes about political economy and the education
of the masses and things like that, he s simply
grand." One is tempted to add the alarming
finality with which Walt Whitman dismissed
Ruskin on both points of view: "I don't quote
him. I don t care for him. I don't read him.
Don't find he appeals to me. I've tried Ruskin on
every way, but he don't fit"

Pettie, of all men, was sure of his colours, and
in his "bricklayer's work" and in his chiaroscuro
alike might well be content to stand or fall in
Rembrandt's company. In spite of Ruskins talk
of shallow mimicry, chiaroscuro was an element in
Pettie's conception of his subjects which he
thoroughly understood, and used with the utmost

JACOBITES, 1745

"DIPLOMA PICTURE
(Site <rf original, 35 X 50.)

LONDON AND THE ACADEMY 73

skill to enhance the dramatic action of his
characters. The gloom of that dark background,
the misty atmosphere of a large bare chamber, is
anything but slovenly, and makes the figures more
real by its own reality. Here, as in many of his
pictures, the painter concentrates attention on his
main group, and leads up to it by a subtle and
well-conceived scheme of light and shade. To-day
we can appreciate the repose of blank spaces — how
cunningly it is used, for instance, in " Ho ! Ho t
Old Noll" and "The Traitor "—and the lumin-
ous envelopment given by backgrounds that in
Ruskin's day might seem bare and unfurnished.

To the two years spent in Fitzroy Square, and
to the ten years following, belong several of
Pettie's finest works. The alert temperament
which inspired his instant perception of the
dramatic moment and historical arrangement of his
subject, combined with the training and tradition
of the school to which he belonged, give both
vigour and finesse to his brush. His fine sense of
colour and his brilliance of craftsmanship soon drew
the attention they deserved. To the Academy in
1868 he sent " The Trio," another picture inspired
perhaps by the minstrels of Brittany. Three

mediaeval musicians are performing in an ancient

10

74 JOHN PETITE

street. A lutist, hat in hand, hows obsequiously to
some girls at a window ; a hautboy player in front
remains absorbed in his performance ; the third, a
lanky fellow with a viol, eyes an upper window
the while he continues his chant The picture
tells its story with gaiety, spirit, and dramatic
force.

In 1864 he sent "The Tonsure," a humorous
subject, rich in character and full of expression,
showing the barber of a convent shaving the head
of a younger brother with a sadly blunt razor.
With it went a larger and more serious work,
" George Fox refusing to take the Oath at Houlker
Hall, a.d. 1668." At the end of the table round
which the Justices are seated stands the founder
of the Society of Friends, a figure of dignified
simplicity, steadfast in his calm resolve, his wife
and children behind him. The composition is firm
and compact, the erectness of the standing and
seated figures cunningly counteracted by the curves
given by the stooping figure of the officer, who
persuasively holds out the Bible, and of one of the
Justices, who bends to whisper in his neighbour's
ear. The masses of light and shade are skilfully
ordered, throwing into prominence the upraised
hand of the presiding magistrate, dramatic in its

LONDON AND THE ACADEMY 75

gesture, and the tall form of the recusant. The
colour is rich, glowing, and luminous.

In the British Institution of 1864 he was repre-
sented by " The Time and Place," a raffish-looking
cavalier, in black satin doublet and trunks, with
a red feather in his broad-leafed beaver, and his
cloak and belt lying on the ground beside him,
about to throw himself into guard. The Times
spoke of it as "probably the most satisfactory
figure-subject here — certainly the one of which we
have brought away the distinctest recollection " ;
and added : " If Mr. Pettie is a young man, he
should soon be better known ; meanwhile, we book
his name as one of the few which we carry away
from this exhibition, to be looked after henceforth
in places where they show pictures/'

In the summer of 1864 Tom Graham, Keeley
Halswelle, C. E. Johnson, and Pettie all spent a
holiday together at Hastings ; and it was on this
occasion that the two last met their future wives,
Miss Sarah and Miss Elizabeth Ann Bossom.
Pettie's marriage to the latter took place at
Hastings on August 25 of the following year.

It was in 1865 that Pettie became a marked man
to the eye of the public. His " Drum-head Court-
Martial" was one of the pictures before which

76 JOHN PETTIE

visitors daily clustered when it hung on the
Academy walls. The subject was a fresh and
telling one — not a definite historical scene, but one
embodying the spirit and romance of history.
Seated before a drum are three stern-looking
figures: an improvised tribunal. The centre one
is a glum parson ; on his right sits a cavalierly
general, who likes rich clothing and good-living ; on
his left a rough soldier. A stalwart prisoner, pale
but not cowed, is brought before them for his trial.
The tent and camp equipage of the background
are indicated without obtrusion. It is a dashing
picture, full of spirit in idea and in design ; and
the artist seldom painted anything better, or more
full of character, than the heads of those com-
manders sitting in judgment.

This picture and several more of Pettie's finest
works— "To the Death," "A Sally," "The Flag
of Truce," and "Treason" — passed later into the
collections of Mr. J. Newton Mappin and Sir
Frederick Mappin, and are now in the Mappin Art
Gallery at Sheffield. The public galleries of
Glasgow and Aberdeen are also rich in examples
of the artist at his best It is a constant regret to
admirers of his work that the National Gallery of
Scotland should have nothing at all to bear testi-

A DRUM-HEAD COURT MARTIAL
(Size of original, 28 x 42.)

LONDON AND THE ACADEMY 77

mony to his genius, and that his powers should
be so poorly represented in London. "The
Vigil," in the Tate Gallery, much though it may
be admired for its fine sentiment, is not typical
of his fluent draughtsmanship and brilliant
colour. "The Jacobites," in the Diploma Gallery,
to which few people ever penetrate, is a much less
known but far nobler example of his talent.

The expectations roused by the "Drum-head
Court-Martial" were well fulfilled by the "Arrest
for Witchcraft w of the following year. The canvas
exhibited at the Academy now has a home in the
Melbourne Art Gallery, but a replica is at Wolver-
hampton. The scene is in the market-place of a
mediaeval town, where some ruffianly troopers are
conducting to the ordeal of the pond a poor old
woman, her hands tied beneath her cloak. Her
expression is fine in its dazed apathy and almost
imbecile calmness. The whole picture is well
conceived. The witch is pursued by the townfolks
with clamour and threats. All are moving except
two men in the background, of philosophic cast, who
with heads together gaze sceptically at the scene
of violence. Each figure in the action, each head
with its diversity of character and passion, enhances
the reality of the scene. The picture told its story

78 JOHN PETTIE

with quiet strength and without display; there
was art in its apparent artlessness. Critics, while
they admired it, compared its dramatic subject and
colour with an exhibit by Orchardson, " The Story
of a Life," and found both pictures "dun." Its
fine colour was not of the brilliant pitch, to which
the painter was as yet only feeling his way. Full
promise, however, of the future, is in the rich,
vibrant tints of "The Rehearsal," painted in the
same year, a clever study of an ancient mattre de
ballet in a garret teaching a child to dance.

The " Arrest for Witchcraft * ensured Pettie's
election to one of the Associateships of the Royal
Academy, which were vacant by the promotion of
Baron Marochetti and Mr. G. Richmond to the
higher rank. He was only twenty -seven ; and
there are few cases on record of such early distinc-
tion — Sir Thomas Lawrence, who was made an
Associate, by the wish of George III., when only
twenty-one ; Millais, whose first election at the age
of nineteen was quashed on account of his youth,
but who joined the ranks of the Associates three
years later ; Mr. F. Dicksee, who was only twenty-
eight; and Professor Sir Hubert von Herkomer
and Mr. Cadogan Cowper, both of whom had just
completed their thirtieth year when they won the

THE REHEARSAL
(Sin of original, 28 X 18^.)

A

LONDON AND THE ACADEMY 79

coveted distinction. Though Orchardson was
several years his senior, Pettie attained the honour
eighteen months before him, and anticipated him
by four years in reaching the higher grade. " Pettie
was the first," says Sir Walter Armstrong in his
Scottish Painters, " to catch the eye of the public.
His conceptions were more ambitious, and his art
more voyant : he played, in fact, a trumpet to his
companion's flageolet Hence it was that, to the
amusement of those they had left behind in Edin-
burgh, the London critics talked of Orchardson as
if he had moulded himself on Pettie. Their fellow-
workers at home knew well enough that, after the
teaching of Lauder, the moulding influence over
the whole clique had been the example and the
square mind of the older man."

On the word of the leading painter among those
" left behind in Edinburgh," I have it that the last
part of Sir Walter Armstrong's statement is
scarcely true. They all recognised Orchardson as
probably the greatest pupil of the Lauder School,
and thankfully acknowledged his influence. But,
as my informant says/" we held both artists in such
high esteem that we thought little of which of them
should come into the Royal Academy first As we
expected, Pettie came first : his overflowing vitality

80 JOHN PETITE

suggested to us that he would. There can be no
doubt that during the first years in London,
Orchardson had his energy roused and Pettie had
the benefit of Orchardson's steady coolness — his
' square mind.' " Though they separated in method
and technique, each following his own path, they
remained always good comrades and staunch
Mends.

Looking at Pettie's career as a whole during this
period, and indeed up to the time of his election as
an Academician in 1874, we see it marked through-
out by steady and consistent growth. There are
no obviously experimental stages. His early work
was instantly decisive in accent His pictures
from the outstart show bold schemes of design,
chiaroscuro, and colour. From his student days —
the days of " The Prison Pet " and a " Scene from
The Monastery " — he painted exactly what he liked,
because he liked it ; and he was fortunate in that
the work which gave himself the greatest pleasure
was what pleased the public most Circumstances
often drive an artist along a road which he treads
with unwilling feet, and take him where he has
no particular desire to go. Partly to make his
bread, partly because he has become enfeoffed to
popularity, he has to strive against convictions and

LONDON AND THE ACADEMY 81

temperament, and accomplish tasks that are un-
congenial In days when subject -painting was
popular, many a painter concentrated his energies
on that, when his own instincts prompted him to
landscape or portrait work. Pettie was fortunate
in that his own nature and inclinations led him to
the dramatic motive, the treatment of anecdote,
the representation of incident. The work that was
natural and spontaneous for him was calculated to
please a large section of the public; and this
pleasure was given without deliberate intent or
effort; without any pandering to popularity. The
path to popularity was the way of his own pleasure.
A painting of action was to Pettie, vigorous and
robust, as natural a fulfilment of his own spirit, as
was an exquisite, dreamy nocturne to Whistler, the
fragile man of nerves and sentiment.

In the case of many painters, struggling days
with the wolf at the door have been a wholesome
even if cruel discipline, acting as a spur to rouse
latent ambition and stir dormant energy. Many
an artist, not knowing where to seek his next half-
sovereign, has done work which in later days of
success and honour he has looked at with despair
and striven in vain to emulate. But Pettie needed

no spur, for ambition and dogged tenacity were in

11

82 JOHN PETITE

his Scottish blood. Though in early years he may
have experienced a straitness of resources, he never
knew the meaning of distress. He was never in
the position of the apprentice, whom he painted so
well, driven to press his wares on possible purchasers
with a " What d'ye lack, noble sir ? " Within a few
years of his settling in London, the foremost dealers,
Agnew, Tooth, M'Lean, Deschamps (a nephew of
Gambart), Flattou and others, were all knocking
at his studio door. These were days when pictures
sold readily at fair prices. " The Drum-head Court-
Martial," for instance, put £250 into the painter s
purse, followed by £450 for the "Arrest for
Witchcraft," £400 for "At Bay," £450 again for
u Treason." For some years before he was thirty
he earned a steady annual income of over a thousand
pounds. As an Associate and Academician he
commanded prices vastly enhanced. But though
he leapt into success by rapid strides, success left
him as it found him — modest, kindly, generous,
keen to enjoy life, eager to help all others to its
enjoyment

CHAPTER IV

ASSOCIATE: 1866-1873

On his marriage in 1865, Pettie moved to 87
Gloucester Road, Regent's Park, a house formerly
occupied by Mr. J. D. Watson, and had Mr. and
Mrs. C. E. Johnson as his next-door neighbours.
One incident in connection with his new home
Pettie never forgot Like every one else who
becomes a householder for the first time, he began
by having an abnormal fear of burglars. His
brother James, now in Iquique, was paying him a
visit, and Pettie retired to bed one night, under the
impression that his brother was going to follow
upstairs within a few minutes. James, however,
became engrossed in a book, and it was an hour or
two later when, for fear of waking the household,
he took off his slippers and crept stealthily up the
stairs. Pettie was roused from his first deep
slumber by the creak of a loose board. Half-

83

84 JOHN PETTIE

awake, he sprang from his bed ; lurked behind his
door at the head of the stair ; then leapt out and
grappled with the burglar — to find that he had
nearly garrotted his own brother !

In 1869 he left Gloucester Road for 17 St John s
Wood Road, moving thence in the following year
to a neighbouring house, No. 21. Orchardson was
next door at No. 19, and MacWhirter a near
neighbour in Titchfield Road. Pettie's studio was
built out at the north side of the house, and had
a large window looking upon St. John's Wood
Road. At the back of the house was a large and
pleasant garden, well shaded by trees. Here he
remained for eleven years.

Apart from "The Arrest for Witchcraft," his
principal picture in 1866 was "At Bay." A
cavalier, on a lonely heath, is defending himself
against the attack of four Puritan soldiers — three
in buff coat and helmet, the fourth in sombre black.
The man in black has a sword-prick in his arm, one
of the others has fallen wounded on the ground,
and the remaining two seem to have no great
stomach for the attack. The figures of the
assailants, a brilliantly painted group, showing keen
study of character and action, stand out in solid
reality. The colour scheme is strong and temper-

TREASON
(Sire of original, 88 X 55$. )

ASSOCIATE: 1866-1878 86

ate ; the browns, reds, and greens of the costumes
are in subtle harmony with the background (one of
the best landscape backgrounds that Pettie ever
painted), repeating cunningly the prevalent hues
of copse and bracken.

"Treason," exhibited at the Academy in the
following year, has a grip and unity of conception
that places it on a higher level than any of Pettie s
previous works. With it he burst into a triumph
of dramatic intensity and of colour. Some military
commanders and a dignitary of the Church are
seated in council at a table. In their very attitudes
there is conspiracy; in the putting of the heads
together there is a plot. Note specially the wizened,
bitter face of the man in black who leans with his
elbows on the board. The Churchman's robe of
scarlet gives a bright note of colour, and the hang-
ing on the back of his chair is yellow, woven with
blue embroidery. Tints of blue and green come
in the costumes and upholstery, but the dominant
notes are of the warm colours, yellow, red, and
brown. The background is a wall hung with a
yellow-brown tapestry, which, particularly to the
right, closely resembles the work of Orchardson in
its thin transparent brushings. "Treason" and
"Hudibras and Ralpho," painted at the same time,

86 JOHN PETITE

are both in the Mappin Gallery at Sheffield. In
the latter the scene is taken from Fart I. Canto iiL
of Butlers satirical poem. Hudibras and his squire
Ralpho, in quest of adventures, were attacked by a
party of bear-baiters, one of whom they put into
the stocks ; but the following day they were over-
powered by the rabble, who released their com-
panion and set Knight and Squire in his place.

But Hudibras, who scorn'd to stoop

To Fortune, or be said to droop,
Chear'd up himself with ends of verse,

And sayings of Philosophers.

In this picture Pettie gives vent to his keen sense
of the humorous; and looking through the list
of his works, one notes how, as though for the
satisfaction of his own nature, there is a balance
each year between tragedy and comedy, grave
and gay. In contrast to the two last-mentioned
pictures is the very low -toned "Visit to the
Necromancer." The necromancer is a swarthy,
almost a black man, who holds a light high in one
hand as he draws aside a curtain with the other,
as if in search of something that lies in the im-
penetrable darkness.

In the summer of this year, 1867, Mr. and Mrs.
Pettie travelled in Italy, visiting Venice and Rome,

PAX VOBISCUM
(Size of original, 21 x HJ.)

ASSOCIATE: 1866-1878 87

while the St. John's Wood studio was lent to
George Paul Chalmers.

If "Treason" marks a climax in dramatic
intensity and colour, the " Tussle with a Highland
Smuggler," of 1868, reaches high-water mark by
reason of its action and dashing spirit A stout
Lowland gauger, in thick and cumbrous great-coat,
is struggling with a lean, half-naked, wild-cat
Highlander ; a keg on the ground tells its tale.
There is a certain grim humour in the scene. The
coolness and resolution of the gauger, his stiff,
determined movements and set face, contrast with
the wild features and fierce contortions of the
smuggler. In the strained tensity of the two
stru ggli n g figures the artist shows consummate
power of draughtsmanship. " Pax Vobiscum," of
the same year, is a merry tale to relieve the grim-
ness of that fierce fight. There is quaint wit in
this picture of a fat and jovial monk, who is seated
at dinner and pronounces his benediction on a tiny
mouse which has stolen out in quest of some fallen
crumbs. The little picture is noteworthy for its
vigorous handling of black and red, a combination
of colour which was always a delight to the painter.
"Battledore" has the terrace and lawn at Haddon
Hall as a background to dainty figures.

88 JOHN PETTIE

The chief work of 1869 was "The Disgrace of
Cardinal Wolsey." It is many years since I have
seen this picture, and rather than record a personal
impression, I prefer to quote the contemporary
criticism of the Art Journal :

Mr. Pettie has never done better than in that powerful
and thoroughly independent picture "The Disgrace of
Cardinal Wolsey." The strength of the picture lies in the
powerful delineation he has given of Wolsey: we have
seldom seen so striking or true an analysis of character.
We seem to read the history of a life, the summary of a
career, in that crafty face; we decipher the motives that
have ruled the man ; and now across the lines and furrows
that time has worn, come the agitation, confusion, and
remorse of being found out at last. . . . Mr. Pettie has given
in this well-studied work the full gauge of his powers. The
figure of Wolsey can never be forgotten.

"Touchstone and Audrey," painted in the same
year, was exhibited at the Academy of 1870. A
pretty Audrey stands among her goats, while
Touchstone, planted firmly on his legs, leans
forward, with hand stroking a smooth chin, to ask,
"And how, Audrey? am I the man yet? doth
my simple feature content you?" It is a capital
piece of characterisation, painted with verve and
spirit in a high key of rapturous colour.

At the Academy in 1870 also appeared "The
Sally," in many respects one of Pettie's greatest

THE SALLY
{Site of original, 32 X 50.)

ASSOCIATE: 1866-1878 89

works. In colour, action, and intensity of purpose
he rarely, if ever, surpassed it. The inmates of a
besieged castle are creeping along a dark passage to
make a sortie from a low doorway at the end. A
single officer stands motionless, finger to lips. All
the other figures are stooping, and in their stealthy
onward movement repeat boldly the same form
and action, adding cumulative force to the dramatic
effect. The very simplicity of the motive was a
stroke of genius. All through the picture is a
rich glow of colour, low-toned and never forced.
Helmet and breastplate shine with a subdued gleam
in the dim passage-way ; buff and vermilion jerkins
take a sombre harmony in the ominous shadows.
It would take pages and pages of a romantic novel
to convey the tense excitement of the scene, the
hushed solemnity, the dauntless courage of those
slow-moving figures. But in a moment Pettie's
picture flings you into the atmosphere of peril;
you hold your breath, and almost involun-
tarily bend your head. "Treason" and "The
Sally w are both great pictures — great in the purely
pictorial elements of line, form, colour, and illumina-
tion. That they thrill, not only as a piece of
painting, but for the story they tell, makes them
greater pictures still.

12

90 JOHN PETTIE

"'Tis Blythe May Day," exhibited with "The
Sally," was the forerunner of two or three similar
pictures, such as " Two Strings to her Bow " (1887)
and " The World went very well then " (1890). A
rustic youth walks jauntily along a lane with a
village maiden on either arm ; one of them seems
to aim a jest across their squire at her more coy
and demure companion. There is fresh buoyancy
in the treatment of a theme full of unforced, un-
conscious nature. Rich in pure humour is " Rejected
Addresses " (1870). An elderly suitor, of a florid
countenance, wearing a blue coat with gilt buttons,
is on his knees, and receives with dismay the
respectful curtsey with which his proposal is refused
" For this sweet little maid he was rather too old."
Trifling, perhaps, in subject, the picture has all
Pettie's charm of colour and fluent brushwork.

His varied accomplishment and unhesitating
progress find proof in his Academy exhibits of the
following years. His principal work in 1871 was
"A Scene in the Temple Gardens." That the
scene is based on Shakespeare's Henry VI. and
has no actual place in history is of little moment.
Round the rose-bushes are gathered the figures of
Suffolk, Somerset, Warwick, Vernon, and Plan-
tagenet, clad in the long fur-trimmed robes of their

REJECTED ADDRESSES
(Site of original, 27 X 88.)

ASSOCIATE: 1866-1878 91

time. Richard, Duke of York, standing on the
left, plucks a white rose, and calls on his followers
to pluck a similar flower. The Duke of Somerset,
boldly fronting him, gathers a red rose, and com-
mands the supporters of the Duke of Lancaster
to do the like. As they pluck the flowers, they
provoke Warwick's prophecy :

This brawl to-day,
Grown to this faction in the Temple-Garden,
Shall send between the red rose and the white
A thousand souls to death and deadly night

The thoughtful lawyer in the rear seems to foresee
the disastrous future. The work is impressive
from the air of dignity with which the subject has
been invested, and gains in impressiveness from
the sombre and frowning walls of the Temple
buildings that form a grey background to the rich
costumes. Two lighter works, " The Love Song "
and " The Pedlar," were shown in the same year.
The first is a figure of a troubadour, exhibiting the
artist's powerful command of varying tones of red
in the rich robe which his subject wears. The
second is a vivacious picture of two buxom dairy-
maids who invest their savings in the showy wares
of a pedlar's pack, finding special attraction in a
gown-piece of a flowered pattern. The figures are

92 JOHN PETTIE

apt and dexterous, and animated in expression. In
1871 also Pettie had a little burst of portrait-
painting, one portrait, that of his old friend
Mac Whirter, being exhibited at Burlington House.
To 1871 belongs the record of a kindly action,
one of many such, but set down here because it
concerns another great painter of the nineteenth
century, far older than Pettie, but happily still
alive. To the Academy Exhibition of 1871 Josef
Israels sent a big picture, "How Bereft," from
Holland, and on being unpacked it was found to
have a large hole in the canvas and some minor
damages. Israels had long been on terms of
intimate relationship with the Scottish School,
whose work has a close kinship with his own ; and
Pettie, who had never, I think, met the Dutch
painter, was a warm admirer of his work. Hap-
pening to see the damaged picture, he took instant
action, with the quick decision and sympathetic
friendliness so characteristic of the man. He
arranged for the removal of the picture from
Burlington House, took it to have the canvas
carefully relined, and telegraphed to Israels at
The Hague to come over and stay with him
at St John's Wood. Israels came, spent three
pleasant days in his company, and on the opening

THE FLAG OF TRUCE
(Siw of original, 68 x 42.)

ASSOCIATE: 1866-1878 98

of the Academy the picture hung upon the wall
none the worse for its misadventure.

In the autumn of this year, along with Orchard-
son, he was elected an Honorary Member of the
Royal Scottish Academy. The diploma, which
states that the honour is bestowed " in consideration
of his eminent talents as a painter, and in the hope
that his best exertions will be directed to advance
the honour and interests of the Society, the progress
of Art, and the dignity of its professors," is dated
November 27, 1871, and bears the signature of Sir
George Harvey, P.R.S.A. Pettie was always
proud of this compliment by his fellow-countrymen,
and well might be, for since the granting of the
Scottish Academy's charter in 1888, only thirty-
five honorary members have won election* Though
always loyal to the London Academy, he sent
many of his finest works to the Edinburgh
Exhibitions.

" Silvius and Phebe," of 1872, was a companion
to " Touchstone and Audrey " of two years before.
Like its predecessor, it depicts with much grace and
in brilliant colour the pretty scene between Shake-
speare's two shepherd lovers. A more important
work of this year was "Terms to the Besieged."
It was a dramatic subject which, like " Treason,"

94 JOHN PETTIE

enabled Pettie to display his skill in facial expres-
sion, his command of drawing and colour, and his
ability of composition. In a municipal council-
chamber are gathered the governor and leading
burghers of a beleaguered town. Before them
stands an ambassador from the besieging force, a
martial figure in bright demi-suit of plate armour,
violently gesticulating while he proposes terms of
surrender so severe as to take away the breath of
the lean and gaunt members of the council The
horror and despair upon their faces is brilliantly
achieved in paint In the same year Pettie was at
Hastings and painted a portrait of a " Coastguard
on the Lookout," fine in colour and interesting
as a record of a costume which has already
disappeared.

"The Flag of Truce," which Pettie sent to the
Academy of 1878, was possibly intended as a sequel
to "Terms to the Besieged." From the heavy
arched gateway of a beleaguered town the burgo-
master advances, accompanied by the sad -eyed
bearer of the white flag. The wan face and glassy
eyes of the latter tell of hunger and privation
endured nearly to the utmost. The governor,
staunch and resolute, stands erect with a scroll in
his hand. His shrivelled features, and shrunken

TO THE FIELDS I CARRIED HER MILKING-PAILS '
(8iu of original, 30* X 44.)

ASSOCIATE: 1866-1878 95

form with ill-fitting dress and accoutrements a world
too large for it, are finely studied Women and
starving townsfolk press behind them with tears
and blessings. The whole story is told with sym-
pathy, and gains fulness of dramatic force without
a touch of exaggeration. The artistic achievement
shows itself not only in the distribution of the
figures and in the skilful treatment of the back-
ground, but in the harmonious agreement of bright
colours, red, blue, and yellow, in the dresses of the
three foremost soldiers. A slighter subject of this
year was " Sanctuary," a damsel imploring refuge
from the black-robed nuns of a convent. Here, as
in all Pettie's work, is displayed his talent of
subordinating all the elements of the picture to its
chief purpose and central interest, and it has the
full richness of tone characteristic of all the work
produced at this, perhaps his finest, period. " To
the Fields I carried her Milking Pails," a third
exhibit of 1878, is a piece of happy sentiment,
showing two country lovers against a background
of sunny landscape, painted from Ecclesbourne
Glen, near Hastings. " The Cardinal/* " Midnight
Watch," and "The Toast" are among smaller
pictures of this date, all of them full of vitality in
colour and execution. The last is one of several

96 JOHN PETTIE

pictures for which the School for Scandal supplied
a theme. Sheridan's frivolous but good -hearted
hero is depicted at the moment when he raises his
glass to drink the health of his ancestors, whose
portraits he has been driven by his extravagance
to sell. A companion canvas, " Lady Teazle : A
Cup of Tea," a glowing piece of colour, was painted
in the following year.

LADY TEAZLE
(Siu qf original, 84 x 18.)

CHAPTER V

ROYAL ACADEMICIAN

At the beginning of 1874 Pettie became a Royal
Academician, having been elected, at the early age
of thirty-four, to fill the vacancy caused by the
death of Sir Edwin Landseer.

His first exhibits as an Academician were two of
his finest works, " A State Secret " and " Ho ! Ho !
Old Noll" " A State Secret " is an historical scene
of the artist's own contriving. A Cardinal, seated
at the end of a table in a large tapestried apartment,
is hastily burning some treasonable documents,
while a monk in the background gazes at him
with a look of horrified amazement. The technical
merits are of a remarkable kind. Note how every-
thing is subordinate to the central figure, so
dramatic in conception. Note, too, the fine render-
ing of the flaming paper — Mrs. Andrew Ker tells
me she burned nearly a packet of note-paper,

97 13

98 JOHN PETTIE

sheet by sheet, in Pettie's studio, that the right
effect might be secured, — the suggestiveness of the
gloomy background, the careful treatment of all
the accessories.

The gay drollery of " Ho ! Ho ! Old Noll " came
as the usual effective contrast to the tragic intrigue
of the other. The picture owed its existence to
importunity. A gentleman called one day at
Pettie's studio and begged him to paint something
or other as a commission. The artist assured
him that he should have the first offer of one of
his next works, but the would-be purchaser was
persistent in trying to exact an immediate promise.
" Laboursome petition " was of no avail, for Pettie
was pressed with commissioned work and by no
means anxious to undertake anything fresh at the
moment. But he was instantly won by his visitor s
final appeal: "My dear sir, I'm over eighty,
and I can't afford to wait!" "Ho! Ho! Old
Noll " was finished for him within a week. The
scene is in a tennis-court Two Cavaliers look on
with a chuckle of amusement at the spirited sketch
which a third has made upon the wall His
sketch is a caricature, but he hardly needed to add
the " Old Noll," which he is in the act of writing.
Pettie's picture, quite apart from its colour, is the

A STATE SECRET
(.Sir* qf original, 48 X «8.)

ROYAL ACADEMICIAN 99

work of a master draughtsman. The light pose
and easy grace of the Cavalier who makes the
sketch, the foreshortening of his arm, the hand that
holds the chalk — so lightly that it seems to move
— are all superbly rendered. The two figures of the
onlookers are magnificently handled both in line
and mass, and it is by brilliant and subtle draughts-
manship that the feeling of merriment is suggested.
Only two faces are seen, and these in profile,
but that of the Cavalier in red is full of hearty,
rollicking laughter, while the curve of the sketcher's
cheek, the tip of his moustache, and the curl of his
eyelash all betoken amusement and smiling satis-
faction with his work. The two figures to the left
offer a splendid contrast of black and red, and the
setting of the canary sleeve against the red of the
cloak is one of those chromatic feats in which
the painter was so daring and withal so successful.
Those strong masses of black, red, and yellow are
enhanced by the white and pink of the third figure
and by the fine quality of grey in the wall of the
tennis-court It was a problem of tone, the seeing
of a white ball and a black coat, lying together,
against the grey background of the wall in the
tennis-court at Lord's Cricket Ground, that gave
Fettie the immediate idea of his picture. The

100 JOHN PETITE

brilliant sketch, of which Mr, MacWhirter is the
fortunate owner, has a richness and fatness of
paint and an abandon of execution that make it
almost finer than the finished picture. There are
tones in the white dress, and in the black hat with
its pinky feather, possessing a quality which even
Whistler never excelled.

A third picture exhibited in 1874 was "Friar
Lawrence and Juliet,'* not quite like Pettie, at first
sight, in its negation of strong colour. But the
head of the old friar is a noble piece of painting,
worthy of Rembrandt in its powerful modelling and
subtle analysis of light and shade. The filmy veil
that Juliet wears and the play of light on her silken
dress are rendered with skill of craftsmanship, but
her figure is awkward, and the entire concealment
of her face is not altogether fortunate.

In 1875 Pettie was elected to the Council of the
Academy for two years, and served for the first
time on the Hanging Committee for that year —
"getting it taken out of me at the R.A.," as he
writes.

His diploma work, sent to the 1875 Exhibition,
was "Jacobites." Some stalwart Highlanders of
the '45 are gathered in council, their varied tartans,
in which blues and greens predominate, giving

HO ! HO ! OLD NOLL

(.Ster of original, 82 X 45.)

ROYAL ACADEMICIAN 101

a rich scheme of colour. There is "real pathos
and most subtle expression/' as Ruskin said, in
the group of figures, but the background, which
Ruskin found "slovenly," is full of lumin-
ous atmosphere, that "third dimension, 9 ' undis-
covered, or rather forgotten, in the great critic's
day. Mark how those figures take reality of
contour without any rigid outlines, without any
harsh statement of facts or any insistence upon
detail. Power of colour, with all its clearness,
sparkle, and beauty, its effective adaptation to the
subject, is as fully manifested in this as in any
picture he produced. To realise how Pettie out-
stripped his contemporaries as a colourist, you
have but to climb the long stair to the Diploma
gallery 'at Burlington House. In that room of
modern work, " The Jacobites " stands alone for
sheer force of colour.

Besides "The Jacobites," in the Academy of
1875, were two costume portraits and "A Scene
in Hal o' the Wynd's Smithy." The last takes
its theme from The Fair Maid of Perth The
clansman holds up a shirt of mail, as the sturdy
smith speaks to him from the anvil over which
he bends with his back to the spectator. It was
a subject that gave fine opportunity of glowing

102 JOHN PETITE

colour in the flash and incidence of reflected light,
and it displayed all Pettie's vivacity and robustness
of execution. He was modest enough about it
himself. To McTaggart he wrote : " I saw yours
among Captain Hill's pictures at Brighton. It is
a stunner, and looks like a hole in the wall, letting
in sunshine and fresh salt-water breezes into
the room; the best bit of colour he has. He
gets my R.A. picture, and I'm bound to say it
won't stand beside yours for colour."

The representation of physical exertion and
momentary movement offers a problem of techni-
calities to which artists and sculptors of all periods
have been attracted. That Pettie's spirit of strong
enthusiasm should lead him to grapple with such a
motive is perfectly intelligible. In the €€ Tussle for
the Keg " (1868) he had already shown his power of
rendering concentrated action. In " The Threat,"
exhibited at the Academy in 1876, he allowed
himself no opportunity of telling his story by the
action of the whole body. The figure is half-
length, and the adoption of armour with its rigid
lines and definite form precluded any dependence
upon muscular action. There are no accessories
to explain the incident. Everything is expressed
by the character of the stern face and the wonder-

ROYAL ACADEMICIAN 103

ful drawing of the merciless hands, particularly of
the truculent fist thrust forward from the canvas.
The suit of armour and the face shadowed by the
helmet are painted with absolute mastery over brush
and pigment. While " The Threat " was standing
finished on Pettie's easel, Leighton, who had heard
with great interest of the progress of the picture,
went over one day to see it. His one criticism
was that the foremost hand was not large enough
for all it had to express. "But," said Pettie, "I
painted it from my own great fist." " Then your
own great fist isn't big enough," said Leighton ;
" look at mine." And on comparison they found
that Leighton's hand — which one would have
expected to be the delicate aristocratic hand of a
courtier — was larger than his companion's. " Out
with it," said Leighton, "and I'll shake my fist at
you for three-quarters of an hour." So the hand,
so full of force and meaning in the picture, is the
hand of Lord Leighton.

It is difficult to believe that "The Step," of
the same year, is by the same painter as "The
Threat," so full is the picture of daintiness and
grace and sweet consent. A little girl with golden
hair, in a pale blue dress, is dancing before the
gentle dame, her grandmother. The simplicity

104 JOHN PETITE

and tenderness of the domestic subject seem to
have evoked a corresponding sweetness of brush-
work that is in striking contrast to the stern vigour
of that in "The Threat" The clear flesh colour
of the old dame's face, the pure tints of the child's
flaxen hair and dress, gain by comparison with the
dark panelling and the sombre chimney-piece of the
background. In spite of passages of dark shadow,
the picture is all aglow and sparkling with colour.
A companion picture, "The Solo," shows an
interior of the same type, where a chubby boy,
with yellow hair and dress, beats a drum to the
delight of his old grandfather, a reverend signor in
ruff and long blue cloak. A separate picture of
the old dame in "The Step," with her high-
backed chair and spinning-wheel, bears the title of
" Grandmother s Memories."

"A Sword -and -Dagger Fight," exhibited in
1877, is full of action and drama. It was a fine
subject for an artist who, like Pettie, could combine
archaeological knowledge with the suggestion of
life and movement. The alert figures with long
basket -hilted rapiers, deadly main-gauches, and
cloaks to protect from the dagger-thrust, suggest
all the reality of a sixteenth-century duel Each
combatant

THE SOLO
(Size of original, 38} x 48.)

ROYAL ACADEMICIAN 105

with the one hand beats
Cold death aside, and with the other sends
It back.

The picture gains in effect from the contrast
between the intense blackness of one fighter's dress
and the whiteness of his rival's clothing. The man
in light dress on the right is an Englishman ; the
other is a foreigner with an intensely malignant
look in the gleaming eye seen so effectively above
his sword arm. The duel is taking place in a dark
forest glade, under heavy foliage of big trees, with
shadows closing round the combatants, and the
background, almost as much as the figures, helps
to make this one of the artist's happiest achieve-
ments. "Hunted Down," its companion of this
year, is an extremely facile and vigorous study of
a Highlander at bay. With blood-stained claymore
in hand, he waits furious, half-naked, breathless,
till some well-aimed bullet shall end his life.

It is more than probable that at this time Pettie
was steeping himself afresh in the novels of Sir
Walter Scott In the summer of 1877 he stayed,
first with his friend Orchar at Dundee, and then
spent a long holiday at Callander in the very heart
of the Scott country, within easy drive of the
Trossachs and Loch Katrine, the Pass of Leny, and

14

106 JOHN PETTIE

the Braes of Balquhidder. George Paul Chalmers
was there also, worrying over his " Glee Maiden " ;
so, too, were the MacWhirters, Mr. and Mrs. J. M.
Gow, and George Lawson, the sculptor. Amid
scenery full of romantic suggestion, Pettie could
not rest content with fishing and good fellowship,
but must throw off his coat and begin a picture of
" Rob Roy," afterwards exhibited in the Academy
of 1878. Mr. Gow, with his flowing auburn beard,
made a capital model for the renowned chieftain,
who in the tartan of his clan is seated at a
table, about to refresh himself "wi* a dram*
of usquebaugh. It is a perfect embodiment of the
famous cattle-driver and cattle-lifter. " Disbanded,"
a subject dating from the same period, shows a
very rough and ragged but stalwart Highlander
(without doubt a rebel of the '45 on his return from
Culloden) facing the brae on his homeward route
with springing stride, in spite of the fact that he
is well laden with spoil from the battlefield. In
"A Moment of Danger," another Highlander,
with his wife or daughter clinging to him for
protection, has taken refuge in a rocky fastness,
and waits with eager gaze and resolute brow, ready
to fire one last shot in defence of his own. "The
Highland Outpost" shows a clansman in tartan

A SWORD-AND-DAGGER FIGHT

(Site (tf original, 10 x 8a)

ROYAL ACADEMICIAN 107

of brilliant red, sword in hand, with one knee
upon a rock, standing out in statuesque grandeur
against an evening sky whose glow lights up dis-
tant mountains and the still water of a loch.

While still preserving happy memories of the
Callander holiday of 1877, Pettie received a terrible
shock when he heard, early in the following year, of
Chalmers's sudden and mysterious death. Chalmers
was present at the Royal Scottish Academy
banquet on the evening of the 15th February, and
it fell to him to propose "The Honourable the
Board of Manufactures." It was his last public
utterance, and it ended, naturally enough, with a
reference to the name of his friend Pettie, as
one of the distinguished painters who were doing
honour to the School From the banquet, he went
to the Arts Club, spoke with eloquence of Corot,
and left somewhat hurt at a lack of sympathy
shown to his remarks by his fellow-artists. An
hour later he was found, lying unconscious, at the
foot of some area steps, whether by accident or
outrage will never be known. The mystery that
hung about his death enhanced the emotion of his
friends. Few men have been mourned more
sincerely, and by few was he mourned more than
by his fellow-student and life-long friend, John

108 JOHN PETTIE

Pettie. A letter of condolence written to Mrs.
Collie, on the death of her son, is couched in kind
terms that came from a warm heart :

21 St. John's Wood Road, London,
24th February 187a
My dear Mrs. Collie — Knowing how you are suffering, I
have not yet dared to write you. Our grief must be but a
very faint echo of yours, and yet we, with all your friends,
are differing bitterly too. It has been a disappointment to
me not to bfc able to come to Edinburgh at this time, but
Mr. Gow has written me often, and tells me of your having
kind friends around you. I envy them the opportunity of
expressing their deep sympathy in other ways than by
letter — sympathy which, as I feel now, it is impossible to
write. Do excuse this, and think of us as among those who
are sorrowing for the loss of one of the best and most lovable
fellows, your son. He was my best Jriend, and, mourning
him, I am, Yours most sincerely, John Pettee.

To his friend, McTaggart, he writes, two days
later :

Thanks for your note. You and Gow have been very kind
in not forgetting that there are mourners here as well as in
Edinburgh. I wish I were a girl that I might cry my eyes
out to try and relieve this awful weight at my heart. We
will never see his like again, Mac, such a genuine and good
fellow. My love for him makes me jealous of the fuss other
people are making, though they cannot do poor Geordie too
much honour. I so wish I had been able to be with you on
Saturday, and long for a chat with you about him. You
and I will keep his memory green for many a year yet.
. • . Do write me again. You have an opportunity to
interest me with any talk of Chalmers.

THE HIGHLAND OUTPOST
(Size of original, 20 x 22.)

ROYAL ACADEMICIAN 109

The loss was never forgotten. Long afterwards
he wrote:

It has come into my head to write you. Poor Chalmers
has crossed my mind, and I feel you are about the only tie
I have to Edinburgh now. MacWhirter's good fortune would
have delighted Geordie.

Two more Academy pictures of 1878 call
for mention. One of them, "The Hour," is a r
picture that, more than anything else by Pettie,
shows the influence of Phillip. It seems to have
been painted with an inspiring fervour that swept
him into a passionate grandeur of form and colour.
To Pettie, as to the early Romanticists of nine-
teenth-century France, a beautiful piece of red
cloth was an artistic pleasure, a protest against the
grey and dull, just as Victor Hugo's passionate
phrases were a revolt against the rigid declamation
of Corneille and Racine. In "The Hour," as in
" Ho ! Ho ! Old Noll " and " The State Secret," he
glories in red, handling a scheme of colour whose
richness and fulness is gained by impetuous and
unlaboured brushwork. The lady who descends the
stair with domino in hand, to keep her assignation,
is of a Spanish type, and her dress is all of red,
covered with black lace. It is a red that gives
endless expression to variety of light and move-

110 JOHN PETTBE

ment, making you lose lines and contours in its
fervid glow. "The Laird" shows that brilliant
colour is not indispensable. The Scottish squire,
with hands thrust into the pockets of his long
waistcoat, scans his broad acres and watches the
distant reapers with commanding attitude.

At the Academy of 1879 appeared " The Death-
Warrant " (now in the Hamburg Museum), perhaps
Pettie's masterpiece of invention and sentiment,
if not of painting as well. Edward VI., a young,
blue-eyed, fair-haired prince, clothed in ermine, pre-
sides at a council of grave and reverend Ministers,
one of whom holds out a pen that His Highness
may sign the death-warrant of some hapless
conspirator. The heads of the councillors are
studied with keen characterisation, and the sad,
hesitant face of the boy-king has rare beauty.
The effective disposition of colour combines with
sound management of light and shade to produce
chiaroscuro of a brilliant order. In speaking of
Pettie as a colourist, Sir Walter Armstrong in his
Scottish Painters writes :

For the same gift put to more virile use — to the use
which Rubens would make of it — turn to the* great picture
at Hamburg, " The Death- Warrant. 1 " Here some half-dozen
grave statesmen sit about a council-board, at the head of
which young Edward VI. is enthroned. The painting is

ROYAL ACADEMICIAN 111

magnificent. The head of the ruddy, middle-aged senator
on the left — he was painted from the artist's father — has
the vigour, warmth, and solidity of a Rubens. And all over
the canvas the same glow, the same ease, the same breadth
of brushing, are to be enjoyed.

From 1880 onwards a large proportion of Pettie s
exhibits at the Royal Academy consisted of
portraits, to which a separate chapter is devoted.
"Mrs. Dominick Gregg and Children," of 1880,
may be mentioned here as a family group treated
in an original way and from a pictorial standpoint.
Two pretty children, in white* dresses, red sashes,
and black stockings, are romping through a room
with their mother, and pulling that lovely lady,
who is nothing loth, by the hands. The composi-
tion is energetic, and the colour is in Pettie's most
glowing manner. "Before his Peers" (1881) is a
bold noble of Henry VIII.'s time, in a Holbein
costume of black and yellow, brilliantly and power-
fully painted. He is in the act of speaking
energetically in his own defence, and, clutching a
parchment with one hand, points to it with the
other as though producing irrefutable evidence.
In reality this is a portrait of Sir Robert Burnett,
Bart, but so dashing, bold, and effective is the
animated design that it carries out the painter's
intention and stands by its merits as a subject-

112 JOHN PETTIE

picture apart from any personal interest. "Her
Grace," a small subject-picture, shows a full-length
figure of a lady in white satin, standing erect before
a gilt cabinet. She has taken from the drawer a
large carcanet, and seems absorbed in memories
which the jewels have revived. This and the
companion "His Grace" were finely etched in
1880, by C. P. Slocombe. Both pictures are
practically costume studies of single figures, with-
out any deep interest of accessories, but Pettie
gives them an extraordinary spirit, brilliance, and
freshness, where in other hands the same subject
might have been commonplace. In addition to
" Before his Peers " and " Her Grace w the Academy
of 1881 contained "Trout-Fishing in the High-
lands," which proved that Pettie had no mean
power as a painter of landscape. An angler in grey
is casting his line over a shallow " drumlie " stream,
which traverses a bare glen, overhung with wreaths
of mist. The tones of dress and landscape are
subtly harmonised. It is a capital bit of Scottish
scenery, yet the best element of the picture is the
spirited action of the figure. None but a fisher-
man could have given that grace and natural
ease of movement It always reminds me of
Barrie's words about Robert Louis Stevenson

TROUT-FISHING IN THE HIGHLANDS

(Site of original, 84 x 57.)

ROYAL ACADEMICIAN 113

— words again that only an angler could have

written :

Before he was a writer of books he was in our part of the
country with a fishing-wand in his hand, and I like to think
that I was the boy who met him that day by St. Margaret's
stream, where the rowans are, and busked a fly for him, and
stood by watching, while the lithe figure rose and fell as he
cast and hinted back from the crystal waters of Noran-side.

In Pettie's picture you can hear the swish of the
line, and see the rise and fall of the arm, the
movement of the lithe figure.

Three large subject-pictures were exhibited at
the Academy of 1882. Most important was " The
Duke of Monmouth begging his Life from James
II." One can guess the tragedy, and gain pleasure
from the picture, almost without knowing that the
central figures are King James and his natural
nephew, who after being exiled during the reign
of Charles II. landed at Lyme and marched
to rebellion with two thousand men. It will be
remembered that Monmouth met the King at
Sedgemoor, was routed, fled till his horse sank
under him, and was discovered, in the disguise of a
peasant, lying in a ditch* To the last he trusted
that his life would be spared, and went with hope-
fulness into the presence of the King. Macaulay
writes:

15

114 JOHN PETTIE

To see him and not to spare him was an outrage on
humanity and decency. This outrage the King resolved to
commit. The arms of the prisoner were bound behind him
by a silken cord ; and thus secured, he was ushered into the
presence of the implacable kinsman whom he had wronged.
Then Monmouth threw himself on the ground, and crawled
to the King's feet.

That is the moment the artist has chosen to depict
The scene is laid in an apartment at Whitehall,
and the tall windows, veiled by transparent blue
curtains, cast long reflections on the polished floor.
James, dressed in black, relieved only by the ribbon
and order of the Garter, stands upright, his arms
folded, and looks down upon Monmouth, whose
face is the personification of abject, long-continued
fear. Monmouth's grovelling figure is a feat of
draughtsmanship offering difficulties which another
painter would have avoided. Contrasts of pose,
passion, colour, and tone are cleverly and boldly
used. The picture evoked a chorus of praise from
critics of the time. In the Standard I find it
described as " A very revelry of luscious and liquid
colour ; little, it seems to us, has been done better
in our time than this most dexterous and satisfying
arrangement of noble and harmonious hues. It is
a study of browns that have gold in them, and
of blues that have silver." At the Academy

ROYAL ACADEMICIAN 115

banquet Pettie was highly pleased by a special
reference made to it by Dean Farrar, who
described it as the type of historical work which
he most admired.

The other two pictures of 1882 were " Eugene
Aram and the Scholar" and "The Palmer." The
former shows a vista of a woodland alley, tinted
with green and gold, flecked with lights and
shadows. Eugene Aram talks rapidly and fiercely
with the little boy : " he talked with him of Cain."
The effect of long and passionate remorse upon
the worn frame of the miserable usher is rendered
with thorough melodramatic force, and a fine
element in the picture is the naive wonder on the
lad's face. In " The Palmer " a holy man from
the East is telling a Saxon family the tale of
his pilgrimage. One of his most eager listeners is
the little boy who stands, full of life and vigorous
expression, at his mother's knee. The masses of
form and light are deftly composed; the cool
colour is pleasant and effective.

In 1882 Pettie bought a freehold site in Fitz-
john's Avenue and erected one of the earliest
houses in the road. His friend, Mr. William
Wallace, was the architect ; and the house, a fine
building in Georgian style, was named "The

116 JOHN PETTEE

Lothians " from the district in Scotland whence the
artist came. Sir John Millais took a keen in-
terest in his friend's project, and while laid up
in bed owing to illness, persuaded Pettie to bring
down the architect and the plans. Frank Holl,
R.A., became Pettie s first neighbour by building
" The Three Gables " next door. The main feature
of " The Lothians n was the studio. The instruc-
tions given to the architect were : " Mind you, I
want a large square room — a workshop, and none
of your fal-de-lals and nooks -and -corners and
galleries — 'nane o* yer whigmaleeries and curlie-
wurlies/ as Andrew Fairservice said." A large
workshop it became, fifty feet by thirty, divided
for ordinary use into two square rooms, each with
its own fireplace, by a large velvet curtain hanging
across the centre. The nearer room, which was
always used as the studio proper, had a north light,
and the other a large east window. Though the
rooms were square, there was no lack of comfort
and adornment. The eye was drawn at once to
some fine pieces of furniture, old Spanish cabinets,
secretaires of Dutch marqueterie, bronze vases,
Louis XV. clocks, and well-chosen pieces of old
Nankin porcelain. Above the fireplace in the
room where Pettie worked hung a fine panel of

THE PALMER
(Size of original, 22J x 32.)

ROYAL ACADEMICIAN 117

old Flemish tapestry, picturing the triumph of
Antony and Cleopatra. On the walls and round
the room were suits of armour, helmets, Highland
targes, swords and daggers (from the dirk and
the claymore to the swept-hilted rapier and the
fine blade of Andrea Ferrara), pistols and powder-
flasks, and sundry pieces of costume. Every-
thing was there for use; nearly every object
in the room figured in some picture or another.
"Pettie's studio,** says Mr. Pinnington, "was a
faithful reflection, in its freedom from affectation and
display, of its unostentatious although lordly occu-
pant. Modesty lurked in its semi-tones ; ambition
was felt in its space." The studio was the scene of
many happy gatherings, when Mr. and Mrs. Pettie
invited their friends to private theatricals or a
musical entertainment ; and the polished oak floor
served for many a dance. A stair from the studio
led down to a billiard-room and to a property-room,
containing a fine collection of studies and well
stored with costumes. It may be said that after
Pettie's death a large number of incomplete studies
from this property-room were destroyed by his
executors, so that no picture unworthy of him
might pass into circulation or run the risk of being
fraudulently tricked out as a finished work.

CHAPTER VI

LAST YEARS: 1883-1808

In 1888 Pettie, at a pause for a subject, welcomed
a suggestion that was admirably suited to evoke his
sympathy and skill. At dinner one evening he
asked Mr. Winn, who was staying with him at
" The Lothians," for a hint as to a possible theme.
The painter and his guest sat racking their brains
for something that would inspire, but all in vain.
Mr. Winn, however, after he went to bed, still lay
thinking ; and on coming down to breakfast next
day saluted his host with, " Good morning, Pettie.
Dost know this waterfly ? " Pettie looked in amaze-
ment, and when the question was repeated, began
to wonder whether his old friend had taken leave
of his senses. A volume of Shakespeare, however,
was brought from the shelves, and the passage was
found where young Osric comes to welcome
Hamlet, who turns to Horatio with the question,

118

LAST YEARS: 1888-1898 119

" Dost know this waterfly ? M The picture of the
gay, sparkling courtier was begun that very morn-
ing. The figure bears a clever and amusing like-
ness to a waterfly in his little hour of brilliant sun-
light His mincing gait, his self-satisfied pose, the
light feathers in his cap, the long slender legs in
hose of shining grey, the lustre of pale silver and
citron-tinted braveries, the silk-lined cape pointed
like two wings, are all in keeping with his character.
This is one of several pictures in high silvery tones
which Pettie painted towards the close of his career,
perhaps in challenge to those who thought he over-
powered by sheer resonance of colour, as though
with loud chords of martial music In "Dost
know this Waterfly ?" and in " Challenged w and
"The Vigil n he set himself the problem of paint-
ing in cool tones. They are one more argument —
as Gainsborough's " Blue Boy " is said to have been
the first — against the unqualified acceptance of
Reynolds' famous precept in his Eighth Discourse,
that "it ought to be indispensably observed that
the masses of light in a picture be always of a warm
mellow colour, yellow, red, or a yellowish-white;
and that the blue, the grey, or the green colours be
kept entirely out of these masses, and be used only
to support and set off those warm colours." To

120 JOHN PETTIE

search out and discriminate the values in a delicate
colour -scheme is, no doubt, a more difficult task
than to relieve yellow against black, red against
brown. In " Dost know this Waterfly ? ", with its
dominant masses of light in pale sheeny blue and
grey, Pettie certainly won success.

"The Jesters Merry Thought " (1888) may
suffer in some eyes from the humour of its punning
title, but is a piece of full-coloured life painted with
characteristic mobility of composition. A monk
and a soldier are taking their midday repast in the
shade of a sand-pit on a day of sunshine, and the
soldier insists on his companion pulling with him
the merry-thought of a fowl. The crimson velvet
and the armour of the soldier's costume and the
brown frock of the monk are very telling by reason
of their warm colour and fine execution. Other
good pictures of this year were "The Ransom,"
"The Young Laird," "Young Izaak Walton,
1609," and " Sweet Seventeen " — the last a portrait
of a niece of Mrs. Pettie.

In work of the finest quality 1884 was a lean year.
Neither the " Orientation of the Church" nor " The
Vigil M was a picture in which Pettie did justice
to his own powers, especially as a colourist. "The
Orientation of the Church M shows a group of white-

DOST KNOW THIS WATERFLY?'
, (Size of original, 81 x 14f)

LAST YEABS: 1888-1898 121

robed monks looking to the East and waiting for
the first appearance of the sun's rays above the
horizon. A pole is fixed in the ground on the site
of their future altar, and the first shadow cast will
give them the line of orientation. This work cost
Pettie more pains and trouble than any other
picture he painted. It was not often that painting
was disheartening or irksome to him, but in front
of the large canvas — it is the largest to which he
ever put brush — his wonted fluency seems to have
forsaken him. The study of the level morning light
that strikes sharp and keen on the faces and figures
of the men busied with their task would deserve
praise if it came from a painter of landscape, but
the colour of the whole work is too cold, the theme
too quiet and uninspiring for a painter of Pettie's
fibre. With dogged perseverance, however, he
carried it to accomplishment — and then he persisted
in thinking it one of his finest works. It is a
common thing for a mother to love best her weak-
ling child, and for the creative artist to honour the
work that costs him most trouble and to cheapen
the true and easy expression of his temperament.
Pettie's partiality for this picture affords one more
example of the unaccountable blindness which led
Hogarth to single out " Sigismunda " as the master-

16

122 JOHN PETTIE

piece whose worth would be marked by " Time's
price-enhancing dust," made Romney proclaim his
full-length of Thurlow as his best production in
portraiture, and caused Addison to rank his poems
above the Spectator.

In the same way " The Vigil " is unsatisfactory,
for its cold, silvery key fails to exhibit Pettie's real
genius as a colourist, while the single figure and the
bare architectural background offer little revelation
of his power as an executant. The background,
selected from St Bartholomew's, Smithfield, was
painted mainly in the studio from an elevation
made by an architect. Hence its somewhat flimsy
execution, and the rather rigid perspective of
pillars, flag-stones, and altar. It is unfortunate
that this picture, by no means typical, having been
bought by the Chantrey Bequest, should hang in
the Tate Gallery, and be the most accessible and
best-known example of the painter's work. On the
other hand, the picture gains in dramatic force from
the cool bareness of the Norman nave, and there is
a strong popular appeal in the fine sentiment of the
subject. The following description of the scene
depicted is borrowed from Mr. E. T. Cook's Hand-
book to the Tate Gallery: —

The Vigil of Arms was one of the religious exercises,

LAST YEARS: 1888-1898 128

which in the Middle Ages preceded the conferment of
knighthood* The process of inauguration was commenced
in the evening by the placing of the candidate under the
care of two " esquires of honour, grave and well-seen in court-
ship," who were to be "governors in all things relating to
him." By them he was conducted to his appointed chamber,
where a bath was prepared, hung within and without with
linen, and covered with rich cloths, into which, after they had
undressed him, he entered. While he was in the bath two
"ancient and grave knights" attended him, "to inform,
instruct, and counsel him touching the order and feats of
chivalry," and when they had fulfilled their mission they
poured some of the water of the bath over his shoulders,
signing the left shoulder with the cross. He was then taken
from the bath and put into a plain bed without hangings,
until his body was dry, when the two esquires put on him a
white shirt and over that u a robe of russet with long sleeves
having a hood thereto like unto that of a hermit." Then
the two ancient and grave knights returned and led him
to a chapel, the esquires going before them "sporting and
dancing," with "the minstrels making melody." And when
they had been served with wines and spices they went away,
leaving only the candidate, the esquires, "the priest, the
chandler, and the watch," who kept the vigil of arms until
sunrise, the candidate passing the night " bestowing himself
in visions and prayer."

That is the moment chosen in the present picture.
Dawn steals through the dim aisles, but the
kneeling candidate does not notice it, and his
beautiful haggard face remains turned towards the
altar, with eyes full of mystic devotion. Helmet
and armour are on the raised step before him, and

124 JOHN PETITE

he holds patiently the cross hilt of his sword. Soon
he will receive the Holy Sacrament and be invested
with the full honour of knighthood.

" A Reductio ad Absurdum," which also belongs
to 1884, is a'strong piece of colour, with a scheme of
black and red used as elements in the design. A
cardinal in his red robes walks along a corridor
with another ecclesiastic in black with a white
cape, and with expressive energy in his outstretched
hands gives to his more cautious companion a
" flawless demonstration w of his will, if not of his
argument.

"Challenged," which was exhibited in the
following year, is vivacious and complete, one of
Pettie s most dramatic works. A young gallant
of the time of James II. has been rudely awakened
after a night's excess by the arrival of a challenge.
The cartel has been delivered by a visitor who is
just seen in the open doorway to the left, the
chape of his long rapier swinging ominously under
his red cloak as he departs with swaggering stride.
The recipient of the challenge, in blue robe de
chambre and sparkling white satin breeches, leans
on the side of his bed, and with hand pressed to
his brow and a look of bewilderment on his face,
strives to recall the events of the past night

THE VIGIL

(Size of original, 48 x M.)

LAST YEARS: 1888-1898 126

He remembers "a mass of things, but nothing
particular, a quarrel, but nothing wherefore'';
yet he well understands the consequences. Sir
Walter Armstrong criticises "the want of con-
nection between the two figures," but surely this
detachment is correct. The vanishing figure is
simply a go-between, a mere accessory, hardly
essential to the picture, already forgotten, and
rightly forgotten, by the dazed recipient of the
letter which he has brought. The treatment of
the picture is finely artistic in its dexterous com-
bination of light and shadow, rich and cool colours
being handled with sound restraint As in " Dost
know this Waterfly?" and other pictures of his
last period, the artist breaks away from the
ordinary rule which opposes a foreground in which
warm glowing tints predominate to a cool passage
in middle distance or background. Here he essays
the "Blue Boy" problem, his foreground figure
and the bed being of silvery white and blue,
relieved against a background of warm brown
tints. Muther had the obvious comparison in
mind, when he wrote of "Challenged" that "in
point of colour this is perhaps the most delicate
work produced in England since Gainsborough's
'Blue Boy.'"

1J6 JOHN PETITE

The bed in " Challenged " was painted from an
old state-bed at Baynham Hall in Norfolk. Pettie
was taken there by Mr. Seymour Lucas, whose
antiquarian knowledge he often found of the
greatest help. Mr. Lucas obtained permission
for his friend and himself to spend a day or two
at the house, which was then unoccupied. They
arrived in the afternoon, and amid advancing
twilight were shown over the house. They saw
the bed where Queen Anne slept, and passed
through many a silent tapestried chamber, and
along eerie passages. They dined in a great
panelled room, and spent their evening over port
wine in hearing tales of Lady Dorothy Walpole
and others whose ghosts walked the floor above
their heads. They were then each conducted to
a room, with walls two feet thick, where a roaring
fire cast flickering shadows over a canopied bed.
Both were men on whose artistic temperament
and emotional instinct these things acted with
strange force; both, as they acknowledged, were
"in a blue funk." Seymour Lucas met the
situation by going to Pettie's room, and begging
that he might share a portion of a bed big enough
for four. On the following morning Pettie
sketched the bed that appears in " Challenged."

CHARLES SURFACE SELLING HIS ANCESTORS
(Site of original, 82 x 4ft.)

LAST YEARS: 1888-1898 127

Two other exhibits at the Academy of 1885,
illustrating scenes in Sheridan's School for Scandal,
are both rich in colour and precise in touch.
"Charles Surface selling his Ancestors" is an
animated scene, full of nice discrimination of
character. The undemonstrative pleasure of Sir
Oliver on hearing that his graceless nephew refuses
to sell his portrait is expressed with subtle skill
In reference to "Sir Peter and Lady Teazle/' a
sentence or two from Sir Walter Armstrong's
Scottish Painters are sufficient comment :

If colour qualify is enough Jto make a painter remembered,
and we know very well it is, then Pettie's fame is safe. In
this respect some of his pictures seem to me to have passages
in them which have scarcely been beaten. Look, for instance,
at the figure of Sir Peter Teazle, in his plum-coloured coat,
and at the satin-wood furniture about him. The delicacy
which leads every tint to its highest power, to its fullest
vibration, could not be more richly displayed.

It was not likely that Pettie would long be
held captive by the cool, starved colour of such
themes as "Challenged," "The Vigil," and "The
Orientation of the Church." In 1886 he exhibited
that daring blaze of reds and yellows, "The
Chieftain's Candlesticks." It was as though a
fire which had been smouldering beneath white
ashes burst suddenly into full hot flame in this

188 JOHN PETITE

forcible scene of old Highland life. Two stalwart
majestic clansmen, red-haired and red-tartaned,
stand on either side of their chieftain's chair, hold-
ing up torches with brawny arms. While the
picture hung in the Scottish National Exhibition
(1908), I overheard a discussion between two
visitors from the south, suggesting that this was
a "problem picture" after the manner of the
Hon. John Collier. The one maintained that the
Highlanders were simply proud retainers waiting
to receive their chief as he marched in triumph
to the council chair. The other held that the
chair was for ever empty, and, not knowing the
sad-eyed, far-seeing gaze of men who dwell among
the silence and immensity of the hills, read grief
into the noble features. This latter view was held
by more than one critic of repute when the
picture was hung at the Royal Academy. All
of them had forgotten Scott's Legend of Montrose,
and the tale of the wager between Angus M'Aulay
and two English squires. M'Aulay's faithful
retainer Donald tells the story of his master's
foolish bet of two hundred marks with two
Saxons that "clink ye down for a wager as fast
as a Lowland smith would hammer shoon on a
Highland shelty."

LAST YEARS: 1888-1898 1S9

"Ye sail be pleased then to know, that when our laird
was up in England, where he gangs oftener than his friends
can wish, he was biding at the house o' this Sir Miles
Musgrave, an' there was putten on the table six candlesticks,
that they tell me were twice as miickle as the candlesticks in
Dunblane kirk, and neither aim, brass, nor tin, but a 9 solid
silver, nae less ; — up wP their English pride, has sae muckle,
and kens sae little how to guide it! Sae they began to
jeer the laird, that he saw nae sic graith in his ain poor
country; and the laird, scorning to hae his country put
down without a word for its credit, swore, like a gude
Scotsman, that he had mair candlesticks, and better candle-
sticks, in his ain castle at hame, than were ever lighted in
a hall in Cumberland."

When the laird welcomed the Englishman on
an unexpected visit shortly after, his purse and
credit were both at stake, for he had nothing of
more value than some tin sconces. But M'Aulay
was helped out of the dilemma to his own surprise :

" Gentlemans, her dinner is ready, and her candles are
lighted too" said Donald.

The two English strangers, therefore, were ushered into
the hall, where an unexpected display awaited them.
Behind every seat stood a gigantic Highlander, completely
dressed and armed after the fashion of his country, holding
in his right hand his drawn sword, and in the left a blazing
torch made of the bog-pine. The unexpected and startling
apparition was seen by the red glare of the torches, which
displayed the wild features, unusual dress, and glittering
arms of those who bore them, while the smoke, eddying up
to the roof of the hall, over-canopied them with a volume

17

180 JOHN PETTIE

of vapour. . . . "Lost, lost,* said Musgrave gaily — **my
own silver candlesticks are all melted and riding on horse-
back by this time, and I wish the fellows that enlisted were
half as trusty as these."

In Pettie's picture, which sums up that tale of
Sir Walter Scott (based, the author vouches, on
actual fact), the elements of half-savage state are
vividly realised, and made more effective by the
glare of the dark shadows cast by the flaming
torches. No wonder that a well-known firm of
candlemakers offered the artist a large sum — which
was not accepted — for the copyright of the picture !
His other subject-picture of 1886 — it was a
year in which he painted sixteen portraits, mostly
as gifts — was " The Musician." A young composer
is lying back in a deep chair, thinking out an
orchestral effect, with the occasional help of an
organ. On the right is the organ, curiously
ornamented, and leaning against it a violoncello.
The musician is attired in a grey dressing-robe
lined with pale blue, a low shirt collar, black
stockings and shoes. Some sheets of music, painted
from one of Mozart's original manuscripts, are in his
hand. His worn look suggests not only the nervous
strain of his occupation, but the hidden presence
of some fatal disease.

THE MUSICIAN
(3i»of original, 64x48.)

LAST YEARS: 1888-1893 181

Alas for those that never sing,

But die with all their music in them !

"Two Strings to her Bow/' exhibited in 1887,
is one of Pettie's happiest pieces of pure sentiment,
persuasive in its natural charm and its touch of
romance. Light-hearted gaiety and the ecstasy of
existence sing in rippling music from lines and
colours vibrant with joy, A coquette of the
Regency is tripping triumphant down a shady lane,
with an embarrassed swain on either arm, and her
smiling face betokens full enjoyment of the
double conquest. The diffident, mortified look of
the fair country lad, and the hesitating gait and
the attire of the rural beau, are spontaneous and
natural.

A " Scene from Scott's Peveril of the Peak "
accompanied this to the Academy. The picture
shows the moment when the two children, Julian
Peveril and Alice Bridgenorth, are startled by the
sudden appearance of the Countess of Derby in
the Golden Room. The interior is brilliantly
painted, a tour de force of deftness and sparkle.
Admirable use is made of the golden hangings,
which gave their name to the room, and under the
influence of direct illumination (one imagines a
row of windows on the near side of the gallery)

182 JOHN PETTEE

take quick-changing sheen and brilliance even in
the larger shadows that cover the greater part of
the tapestry. But, as usual, the shadows and the
large empty spaces are used to focus and throw
light upon the central group of the two pretty
children, standing with wide-open, startled eyes, in
the centre of the floor. The bright dresses of the
children, the black attire of the Countess, the
barking spaniel, the old chair, are all excellently
painted and play their part Painted originally
in a very high key, this picture has greatly
mellowed and improved in the twenty years of
its existence. Slighter, but very spirited, is "A
Storm in a Teacup" (sometimes known as "The
Tiff"), showing a lovers' quarrel The man and
maid are taking their separate ways along a country
lane, but it will obviously not be long ere their
journey ends in lovers meeting.

"The Traitor, " exhibited at the Academy in
1888, was suggested to Pettie by his own picture
"Treason," which he found at the Mappin Art
Gallery after not having seen it for many years.
As he looked at the canvas, the long table, and
the group of figures round it, he turned to Mr.
Howarth, Curator of the Gallery, to explain his
first notion of a new subject, " The Traitor." In a

TWO STRINGS TO HER BOW
(Nile of original, 82} x 47.)

LAST YEARS: 1888-1898 188

large council chamber a group of indignant men,
in sixteenth-century costume, stand indignantly
looking down upon the traitor, who lies on the
floor, bound hand and foot At the head of a
table to the left sits a dignified man in armour,
who, with an air of command, holds out his hand
as though explaining the evil of the traitor's action
and the disgrace that is upon his head. A priest
beside him stands with hands clasped at his breast
as if in horror and shame that such a thing should be.
Splendid attire and gleaming armour are brilliantly
painted, while some blue satin cushions to the left
lend a vivid touch of colour. Though not equal
to €€ Treason " in depth and glow of colour, this is
a strong picture, powerful in drawing and grouping,
in the grip of what is vital and consistent with the
scene, and in the strong contrast, similar to that in
"The Duke of Monmouth," between the supine
cringing figure and the stern towering dignity of
those who look upon him with contempt. There
are several differences between the larger version
of this subject and the replica (belonging to Mrs.
Ness) which is here reproduced. In the larger
version the priest stands more upright, there is no
yellow cloak thrown across the table, and the
figure at the head of the table embodies a fine

184 JOHN PETITE

likeness of the artist's friend, Mr. A. P. Watt,
who is not nearly so recognisable in the replica.

While painting this picture Pettie received a
visit from Verestschagin, the famous Russian
painter of battle scenes. Pettie had just finished
his cartoon on the canvas when the visitor was
announced. It was not long before Verestschagin,
with a foreigners excitability, had seized a piece of
charcoal, and, dancing about with many gesticula-
tions, began to suggest improvements all over the
canvas. His host, who always welcomed criticism,
was patient at first, but soon saw reason for dismay,
and hastily introducing a large cigar and a tumbler
of whisky, got his boisterous visitor ensconced in
a corner of the sofa, then solemnly and openly
rubbed out all the marks, while he started a friendly
talk about other things. Possibly, with his quiet
humour, he recalled another more serious occasion
when a visitor, whom he knew slightly, became
temporarily insane, and rushed about the studio
brandishing a large knife. Pettie pacified him by
the assurance that he badly wanted the knife to
put into a picture, and promised him a sketch in
exchange if he surrendered it — a promise after-
wards faithfully kept.

A smaller work of 1888, "The Clash of Steer

A STORM IN A TEACUP
(Size of original, 24* * 30.)

LAST YEARS: 1888-1898 186

embodied a characteristic incident of the same
period as "The Traitor." It was the time when
brawls and fighting were common among London
prentices, who liked nothing better than the cry
of " Clubs I Clubs ! 'Prentices I " echoing along the
street. Out of a street row of this type a vivid
scene has been constructed, with humorous as well
as picturesque touches in it At the clash of steel
caused by some quarrelsome swashbucklers, the
booth-keepers and apprentices rush from their
stalls, cudgel in hand. The figures are full of
movement and animation, but real interest centres
in the group in front, a young lady, with terror
and anxiety on her face, trying to drag away her
bellicose gallant out of hearing of the fray which
he longs to join.

In 1889 Pettie's portrait practice had grown to
such an extent that he found time for two subject-
pictures only — " The Beginning of the Fray " and
" Going to the Fair." The latter is a theme after-
wards repeated on a larger scale and with slight
variations in "The World went very well then,"
which went to the Academy of 1890. In subject
as well as in lightness of sentiment and vivacity of
execution, this forms a companion to " Two Strings
to her Bow." There you had the serio-comic story

186 JOHN PETTIE

of two men and a maid ; here, in " The World went
very well then," it is the merry tale of two maids
and a man. Two comely girls of the eighteenth
century are gaily tripping along a country lane,
quite conscious that they are followed by a spruce
young swain with a bouquet in his hand. The
nervousness of the young admirer and the girls'
consciousness are well conceived. The whole
picture sparkles with light and colour, and the
figures are charming in their poise and light move-
ment. In this and in " Two Strings to her Bow,"
as in earlier works such as "To the Fields he
carried her Milking - Pails," "Touchstone and
Audrey," "Silvius and Phebe," and "*Tis Blythe
May Day," the artist puts on canvas the sights
and sounds of youth, and spring, and first love,
with all the joyousness and glamour of the spring-
time of life. You feel happy in the company of
pictures such as these.

In 1890 and 1891 portraits again, with the
exception of "The Violinist" and "Silvia," both
studies of single figures. To both of these the
artist's swift touch and keen accent give instant
grace and vivacity, and if they show a certain
amount of forced illumination and rigidity of
contour, time will soften any harshness. " Silvia,"

THE TRAITOR
(Si* of original, 86 X 4**.)

THE WORLD WENT VERY WELL THEN

{Size n/ original, 00 x 48.)

LAST YEARS: 1883-1898 187

with "The Threat" and "The Jesters Merry
Thought," aU of them from the collection of the
late Mr. George MacCulloch, will be seen at the
Winter Exhibition (1908) of the Royal Academy.
In 1892, "Bonnie Prince Charlie" was a return
to an earlier type of subject and treatment The
young chevalier is entering the ballroom at
Holyrood, with flowers strewn at his feet. The
contrast between the prince with his fair, but
rather weak, sensual face, and his two stalwart
Highland supporters, is cleverly enforced. The
lights, shadows, and colours fall into skilful arrange-
ment ; the golden white of the prince's powdered
hair and satin waistcoat, the red of his kilt and
stockings, and the dark greens of his followers'
tartan are all powerfully massed. Here, as in so
many earlier works, the colour is so brilliant and
energetic that it seems, as it were, to consume the
drawing ; yet here too can be seen how much of
the painter's success depended on masterly drawing
and composition. Another exhibit of 1892 was
"The Ultimatum," a brilliant study of a man in
armour, with stern face and open hand of defiant
challenge.

These were among the last of Pettie's works
exhibited in his lifetime. During the latter part

18

138 JOHN PETTIE

of 1892 he was suffering from on ailment in
the ear. On January 10 of 1898 this took an acute
form, and he was found unconscious on the floor
of his studio. Recovering from this, he seemed
for some weeks to be in better health, and no
exact diagnosis of his illness was made. After
another relapse, however, his medical attendants
sought further opinion from Dr. Ferrier, the
eminent specialist, who localised an abscess behind
the ear. Immediate danger seemed to be averted,
and the patient rallied so quickly that on February
17 his removal to Hastings, a place endeared to
him by early associations, was sanctioned by his
doctors. After two or three days, during which he
was comparatively free from pain and in good
spirits, he became, on Sunday February 19, alarm-
ingly worse. On Monday the members of his family
were summoned, and as a last hope Sir Victor
Horsley performed an operation for the removal of
the abscess. In itself it was entirely successful,
but the shock to the worn system was too great
There followed a night of weary waiting and
watching in those rooms that overlooked the sea-
front at Hastings. It was a night of wind and
rain, a fit night for the passing of so strenuous a
fighter. The wind moaned, the rain lashed the

LAST YEARS : 1883-1893 139

windows, the waves thundered on the beach,
making that storm-music which the dying man had
loved to hear beside him when he faced some big
canvas or assailed some difficult passage of paint
Midnight passed, and after a time of quiet that came
with the early hours of morning, the spirit left the
exhausted frame, to pass into " the ultimate great
peace." The dawn had come.

On February 27, in the midst of many sor-
rowing friends, from the President of the Royal
Academy to humble models, his remains were laid
to rest in the Paddington Cemetery. His " wages
taen," his "task accomplished and the long day
done," he stepped from the broad and sunny road
into the great darkness. But he was only fifty-three,
and his powers were still mature and vigorous,
when he was stricken down. He was one of those
whom the world can ill spare before the allotted
years have passed ; not only a great painter, but a
man of warm heart and open hand, of a nature
gentle and sincere. It was another instance of
that passing of a man, buoyant and robust, with
abundant power still in him to add to the good
work and kind deeds of the past, which makes
more vivid the eternal mystery of death.

CHAPTER VII

PORTRAITS

So far, little has been said of Pettie as a por-
trait-painter, yet in sheer power and interest of
colour and technique his portraits are equal to
the best of his subject-paintings. During the
artist's lifetime they did not in general win the
applause which they deserved, for in annual
exhibitions their interest was outbalanced by the
more potent and immediate appeal of his work
in genre. Since his death, they remain scattered
about the country in private collections with
less chance still of general recognition, for exhibi-
tion committees nearly always prefer to gratify
public taste by searching for a subject-picture
in preference to a portrait The portrait, however,
of J. Campbell Noble, R.S.A., has been a con-
stant wanderer, evoking a chorus of admiration
wherever it has hung; and in the Portrait

140

PORTRAITS 141

Painters' Exhibition at the New Gallery l in 1907,
the brilliant sketch of Hamish MacCunn bore
testimony to the painter's impressionist power.

It was only in the latter part of his career that
portrait-painting for its own sake became an
integral part of Pettie's work. To some extent
he was led into it by necessity. The years pre-
ceding 1890 marked the climax of the prejudice
against the "literary idea" in paint. It was a
prejudice somewhat unjust, but yet natural; a
reaction after the banalities of the mid- Victorian
painters of genre on the one hand, and the over-
done intensity and preciousness of Pre-Raphaelitism
on the other. For art has its seasons of ebb
and flow, and it is curious to-day that under
the influence of another reaction the newest of
the new School are harking back to Victorian
domesticity and revelling in the crinolines and
caps that our grandmothers used to wear. In
those lean years for the painter of genre Pettie
set to work upon portraits, whose success brought
a speedy flow of commissions. Towards the close
of his life there were few years in which he did
not paint ten or more, many of them as gifts to

1 I understand that at the New Gallery this autumn (1908) six or
seven of Pettie's finest portraits are to be exhibited.

142 JOHN PETTIE

his friends, done for pure pleasure or remem-
brance. Of his canvases of 1886, for instance,
fifteen were portraits; while thirteen come into
the record for both 1888 and 1889. Though in
these later years he gradually drifted more and
more into what ' was not perhaps his chosen
province, he was never shackled by it ; he never,
like Romney, thought of it as " this cursed portrait-
painting," a means to independence and the free-
dom of the realms of imagination. Portraiture
satisfied Pettie's social nature, for it brought him
into close contact with warm humanity, and it
satisfied, too, his love of character and colour.
The glow of the human eye, the rich darks or the
golden sheen of hair, the creams and carmines of
a fair complexion, were a welcome challenge to
his skill.

He had always been a painter of portraits, for
his first exhibits at the Scottish Academy were
crayon studies of heads. From the days when he
put the members of his home circle into the sub-
jects for Blackie's Family Worship, he constantly
sought his models among his friends, and often
recorded their features with scrupulous exactness.
In this he resembled the Pre-Raphaelites, with
whom it was a doctrine that the painter should,

PORTRAITS 148

whenever possible, eschew the ordinary hired model,
and seek out among his friends living people who,
in character and aspect, had most affinity with
the personages whom he had it in his mind to
represent. This, no doubt, secures a general con-
formity between the painter's idea of his subject
and the individual who actually sits for him, and also
assures a degree of personal vitality and character,
which can never be obtained from the professional
model The battle is half won for the painter
whose creation is anticipated, or at least shadowed
forth, by nature. Like Madox Brown and the
others, Pettie had an extraordinary faculty for
recognising among the circle of his friends or
acquaintances the type which he required to serve
as a model for some fresh subject. Though he did
not always introduce an exact likeness, he had the
genius of discrimination which enabled him to
extract the essence of what he needed from
features or from pose to suit his conception. The
flicker of expression in a face, the momentary
gesture of a hand or an arm, would often arrest
his attention as the very thing he sought Some-
times he would worry for days in hesitancy to
ask some one, who was little known to him or who
might be a man of small leisure, to grant him a

144 JOHN PETTEE

sitting ; and more than once the delicate diplomacy
of Mrs. Pettie served to bring, as though by
accident, the very person required into her
husband's studio. Several owners of brilliant
head-studies by the artist were offered them in
gratitude for sittings of an hour or two's duration.
Pettie's subject-paintings are, therefore, to some
extent a portrait gallery of his friends, and one
can only indicate where a few of these likenesses
occur. Sam Bough, R.S.A., as has already been
said, is admirably portrayed in " Cromwell's Saints."
Mrs. Andrew Ker (a cousin of the painter) figures
in " A Visit to the Necromancer " ; while George
Fox, in the picture of 1864, was painted from her
father-in-law, Mr. Matthew Ker, and the boy in
the background from Mr. Andrew Ker. Mr.
Winn of Birmingham, a close friend of Pettie,
stood for the hands and arms in "The Palmer."
The figure of the boy in the same picture was
painted from the artist's son Ralph, who appears
in several other works, such as "The Young
Laird." He and Mr. Hansard Watt, then a boy
of about the same age, served as models for the
two children in "A Scene from Peveril of the
Peak." Mr. A. P. Watt and his family, who
were neighbours and close friends of the Petties,

SCENE FROM "PEVERIL OF THE PEAK"
(Size of original, 36 x 48.)

PORTRAITS 146

were in constant requisition. Mr. Watt made
an admirable model for the stately and dignified
president of the court in "The Traitor," and
together with George Lawson, the sculptor, stood
for the group of two figures in the background
of " Dost know this Waterfly ? " The boy king in
" Edward VI. signing his first Death Warrant " was
painted partly from Mr. C. Edwards, partly from
Mr. James Watt The latter, in after years,
stood for the knight in "The Vigil," though this
is hardly a portrait " Two Strings to her Bow "
embodies strong likenesses of Mr. Alec Watt, Mr.
Hamish MacCunn, and Miss Thallum. Hamish
MacCunn sat again for the figure on the bed
in "Challenged," for "The Violinist," and other
subjects. The second figure in " The Orientation
of the Church " is that of Dr. J. Corbet Fletcher.
Mr. Rider Haggard, while sitting for his own
portrait in 1889, was pressed into service for one
of the figures in " The Beginning of a Fray," now
in the possession of Lord Faber. " Rob Roy " was
painted from Mr. L. Gow, the Edinburgh banker,
who was the lifelong friend of 6. P. Chalmers.
Tom Graham is clearly recognisable as one of the
central figures in "The Jacobites." The stern,
determined face in "The Threat" is that of

19

146 JOHN PETTIE

Mr. W. Wallace, the architect. Mr. A. S. Cope,
A.R.A., is the gay cavalier who lifts his black-
jack in "A Brimmer to the King/' Mr. C.
Martin Hardie, R.S.A., stood, one summer in
Arran, for the figure in "Trout-fishing in the
Highlands, 99 which was finished in London from
another model. For "The Ultimatum " Pettie
found in Mr. Edmund Bechstein the powerful
Teutonic type which he required for his stalwart
man of arms. "Before the Battle" is in reality
a portrait of Mr. Briton Riviere, R. A. In 1875
Pettie had painted a small portrait of his fellow-
artist in buff coat and gorget, and was so pleased
with it that in the following year * he developed
the subject, and partly from this portrait, partly
from Riviere himself, completed "Before the
Battle." When exhibited at the Academy in
1890, it depicted a knight arming in his tent;
but after being sold it came again into Petties
hands, and he added the figure of a youth helping
on the armour. After passing through various
hands, the picture is now in the possession of Mr.
Briton Riviere.

It cannot be claimed for Pettie that he
was of the greatest portraitists, one of those
who penetrate with deep intuition into the

PORTRAITS 147

soul beneath the mask of flesh, and reveal in
paint

The shape and colour of a mind and life.

But he caught with accuracy the outward individu-
ality and distinctive character of his sitter, and
transferred to his canvas the warmth and glowing
colour of the life before him. He put into his
portraits his robust, modern, practical good sense ;
and with sound and judicious handling rendered
the salient facts of personality, avoiding on the
one hand undue idealisation, and on the other
thoughtless mannerism. So his portraits are solid
and real — live men and women with blood pulsing
through their veins, with eyes brimming with in-
telligence. Here, as in his subject-pictures, he
was always a colourist, and in some of his portraits
the flesh-tints bloom like the colour on the petal
of a flower. The momentariness of his conception,
the vigour of his grip, the nobility of his chiaro-
scuro, again and again bring remembrance of the
portraits of Rembrandt. In his portraits the
great Dutchman was essentially dramatic; and
there can be no doubt that Pettie was often held
in thrall to his spell From Rembrandt he
absorbed the love of strong contrasts, of rich dark
shadows transfused by the play of light.

148 JOHN PETTIE

It was due to his passion for colour that he
carried, perhaps to excess, his dislike of modern
costume, and clothed many of his sitters in the
gayer apparel of by-gone days. It may be argued
that it is the province of art to make all things
artistic, and that the true painter can show his
skill upon a black frock-coat and modern trousers as
effectively as upon the slashed doublet and brilliant
hose of ancient times. But Pettie was colourist
rather than technician; the scientific adjustment
of subtle and sombre tones had little attraction
for his ardent eye. So, when opportunity offered,
he was eager to get rid of the drab monotony of
modern dress, and to put in its place the rich glow
of velvet or satin, the glint of armour or golden
chain, the creaminess of a ruff. There can be no
doubt that the " costume-portrait " (which, I think,
he can claim to have invented) gave fuller scope to
his talent, and he had wonderful skill in avoiding
the fancy-dress ball air usually attendant on wearers
of anachronistic costume. It is open to question,
however, whether the gain in opportunity for
drama and colour was not counterbalanced by
the fact that the subject was transported to a
century to which he did not belong, and placed
in an historic atmosphere to which he was entirely

PORTRAIT OF A. P. WATT, ESQ., AS A SCHOLAR IN THE TIME
OF TITIAN

(Size 0/ original, 2P x 24.)

PORTRAITS 149

alien. Relations and descendants look mainly for
truth in a portrait rather than high artistic merit,
and prefer to see their kinsman or ancestor in "his
habit as he lived and walked." Pettie himself
seems to have recognised the cogency of the
arguments against his practice, and this phase of
his portrait work lasted for a few years only.

These " costume-portraits " seem to have begun
in 1875, when Pettie sent to the Academy portraits
of "Edward Sherrard Kennedy, Esq., in costume
of the Seventeenth Century/' "G. H. Boughton,
R. A., in costume of the Sixteenth Century," and
"E. F. White, Esq., in costume of the Seven-
teenth Century " ; and in the same year painted the
picture of Briton Riviere, R.A., in a buff coat
and gorget, which has already been mentioned.
" Goldsmith to His Majesty," painted in 1876, is
a fine fancy portrait of the late Mr. Arthur Tooth,
in such a costume as George Heriot might have
worn; and at the Academy in 1877 appeared
" A Knight of the Seventeenth Century " (now in
the Glasgow Gallery), which was a portrait of
William Black, the novelist. It is keen and
bright in expression, and the black and gold
armour is painted with trenchant colour. The
portrait has a special interest in the association

150 JOHN PETTTE

of painter and sitter, for William Black, like his
friend Pettie, was a follower of Scott in the later
Romantic school, writing novels full of national
spirit, breathing passion and drama like Petties
pictures, and, like them, rich in diversified move-
ment At the Academy of 1878 was "Colin
Hunter, A.R.A., in costume of the Sixteenth
Century"; and the following year saw the
exhibition of "A. P. Watt, Esq., as a Scholar
in the Time of Titian,*' which by many is con-
sidered to mark the artist's highest achievement
as a portrait - painter. It is remarkable both
for its tenderness and for its strength, for its
sober treatment of background and figure throw-
ing into relief the fine flesh-tints of the face and
hands. That hand low down to the right of the
canvas is a masterly piece of painting. You feel
that it is warm flesh, alive and palpitating, with
bones beneath the covering tissue of skin.

This was one of the last portraits in costume
which Pettie painted. Though he revelled in
opportunity for glowing colour he was not so
dependent upon it as he himself supposed. A
portrait of Sheriff Strachan, painted in the
following year (1879), bears witness to this. The
lawyer's face, with its shrewd eyes and its firm

PORTRAIT OF WILLIAM BLACK
(Site qforigiwd, 00} x 81*.)

PORTRAITS 151

mouth, is seen with alertness and is boldly modelled.
The picture is all the more interesting because of
the reticence of its colour. The somewhat pallid
face, the grey wig, and the black gown offered no
vantage point for the rich colour that the painter
loved. But wig, white collar, neck-band, and
gown gave opportunity for blacks and greys of
superb tonality. The quality of the greys alone
might well account for an expression of enthusiastic
admiration on the part of Matthew Maris, himself
a master of grey tones, when he saw the picture
lately.

Among Pettie's portraits of his fellow-artists
those of George Boughton, Briton Riviere, and
Colin Hunter have already been mentioned.
Several more are in the Macdonald Art Collection
at Aberdeen, which contains a series, unique in
this country, of portraits of painters. Its history
has some interest In 1880 Sir John Millais
was staying at Kepplestone with Mr. and Mrs.
Macdonald. Sir George Reid's studio was close by,
and it was suggested one day that the two artists
should jointly paint a sketch of Millais and present
it to Mr. Macdonald. The sketch gave great
pleasure to its recipient, and the idea struck him
that he might form a collection of portraits of

158 JOHN PETTIE

other artists, painted, as far as possible, by them-
selves. Though no payment was made for these
portraits, to contribute one to the collection
became regarded as an honour. It is true, how-
ever, that many were paid for " in meal or malt,"
by some gift in kind, such as a case of champagne
or whisky. For his two first Pettie received a
pair of pedestals in Aberdeen granite, which stood
in his hall carrying busts, by George Lawson, of
Mrs. Fettie and his son Ralph. In the short
space of four years, up to the time of Mr.
Macdonald's death, sixty-nine portraits were
got together; and six more, which had been
promised, were afterwards added, together with
seventeen obtained later by Mrs. MacdonalcL
Fettie figures largely in the Macdonald collection,
for besides his portrait of himself, it contains his
portraits of W. Calder Marshall, R.A., Joseph
K Boehm, R.A., Thomas Faed, R.A., J. Mac-
Whirter, R.A., and J. L. Pearson, R.A.

Of two great painters of the Scottish School,
George Paul Chalmers, R.S.A., and Sam Bough,
R.S.A., both of them his personal Mends, Pettie
left striking likenesses. Bough he painted almost
in profile, with long beard, and without the
spectacles which he usually wore. He is wrapped

PORTRAIT OF SIR CHARLES WYNDHAM AS DAVID GARRICK

(Size of original, 05} X 45}.)

PORTRAITS 168

in a loose robe with a tippet of sables, and is
intended to represent a lord-in-waiting in the
retinue of Cardinal Wolsey. The portrait is
broad in style and charming in colour. In his
two portraits of Chalmers, one in profile, the
other full face, Pettie has given the best existing
presentments of the man whom close friendship
enabled him to know with thorough insight. The
tender and sympathetic character of the painter, to
whom Fate was so unkind, finds noble expression
in both of these works. Another striking portrait
of a Scottish painter is that of John Ballantyne,
R.S.A., who, after being assistant to Scott Lauder
in Edinburgh, went to London and became curator
of the painting school at the Royal Academy.
The portrait, which shows Ballantyne as a captain
in the uniform of the Edinburgh Artillery
Volunteers, was painted entirely during one
visitorship of Pettie in the Academy Schools, as
an instructive example of his method of work.
Among Pettie's other portraits of painters are
those of Sir George Reid, R.S. A, W. E. Lockhart,
R.S.A., David Murray, R.A., Peter Graham,
R.A., J. Coutts Michie, A.R.S.A., and George
Lawson.

Through his friend, Mr. A. P. Watt, Pettie came

20

164 JOHN PETTIE

into touch with many literary men of prominence,
and painted highly characteristic portraits of Bret
Harte and Rider Haggard. Among others, William
Black, the novelist, was the subject of more than
one canvas. A portrait of Sir Walter Besant is
a noteworthy example of Pettie's skill, and the
author's delight in it found expression in a pleasing
way. The dedication of The World went very well
tfien, published in 1887, reads as follows : " To John
Fettie, R.A., I dedicate this book, in memory of
certain pleasant hours passed in Fitzjohn's Avenue
in November, 1886, of which the frontispiece is the
outcome, and an acknowledgment of the patience
and skill of the Artist" The compliment was
returned a year or two later, when Pettie adopted
" The World went very well then" as the apt title
for one of his most charming pictures.

The musical circle into which he was in-
troduced through his son-in-law, Hamish MacCunn,
accounted for such portraits as those of Sir August
Manns, O. Fischer Sobell, Edmonstoune Duncan,
Benoit Hollander, A Schulz Curtius, Edmund
Bechstein, Andrew Black, Max Lindlar, and others.
The Church is represented by powerful portraits of
clergymen of various denominations, among them
the Rev. B. Ullathorne, D.D., O.S.B., Bishop of

PORTRAIT OF MISS BESSIE WATT
(She of original, 161 x 18.)

PORTRAITS 155

Birmingham (Pettie caused some embarrassment

by a keen desire to gain colour by putting his

sitter in a cardinal's robes), the Rev. R. S.

Drummond, Dr. W. Boyd, Dr. Monro Gibson

(whom the artist "sat under " for many years in

St John's Wood Presbyterian Church), and Dr.

Oswald Dykes, the late Principal of Westminster

College, Cambridge. Representing the stage is

a brilliant portrait of Sir Charles Wyndham, in

his character of David Garrick at the moment

of recognising Ada — "If I had but known." It

is not only a noble portrait, but a magnificent

piece of characterisation, summing up and seizing

all the intensity of the actor s emotion at the most

dramatic moment of the play. It required a great

actor so to express, almost in silence, by the look

of a moment, that world of sorrow and regret ; it

was a great painter who could catch and throw

upon his canvas that " instant made eternity."

His portraits of old age and of youth display his
colour instinct at its highest A portrait of Mrs.
Bossom, Mrs. Pettie's mother, is a noble representa-
tion of the frailty and sentiment of old age. The
snowy hair with its finely modulated tones of silver
and grey, the beauty inherent in the delicate pallor
and faint flush of age, are painted with irresistible

166 JOHN PETTIE

charm. In contrast to this a little picture of " Miss
Bessie Watt " (now Mrs. Duncan Dempster) is the
embodiment of youth and gaiety. The head of a
beautiful girl is painted with rare gusto. The
uptilted chin, the winsome lips, the curving cheek
of warm rose, the laughing eyes, are all alert and
alive. Yet the workmanship is very reticent ; the
fluent colour is thinner than usual The painter
seems to have got his effect dun seuL jet, to have
seen that it was good, and stayed his hand. It
is a little lyric in paint, going with a lilt like
good song, infectious in its merriment "Master
William Watt " is a full-length portrait of a hand-
some boy, in green velvet dress, with beautiful
painting in the lace and in the cunning reflections
of light upon the gilt buttons. "A dream of
delight from the hand of a master," it was aptly
described by Sir Walter Besant Another child-
portrait, very fresh in its brilliant colour, done
rapidly on two summer afternoons in Arran, is
that of " Berta and Martin Hardie. M

The purity and suavity of warm flesh-tints is
noteworthy in many portraits besides those of
children — particularly in a fine profile portrait of
Mrs. Ker, in "Silvia," in "Sweet Seventeen ** (a
portrait of Mrs. Child, a niece of Mrs. Pettie),

PORTRAIT OF MARTIN AND BERTA HARDIE
(Size of ordinal, 12| X|18J.)

168 JOHN PETTIE

frequently by their delicate refinement of handling.
Again and again, after observing the directness
and bold vigour of the subject-pictures, it comes
almost as a surprise to note some subtle piece of
orchestration, some subdued harmony of colour.
The suavity and jewel-like radiance of flesh-colour
might be expected; but the exquisite finish of
hands such as those in the portraits of A. P. Watt
and J. C. Noble comes with a touch of wonder-
ment And in the portrait of Mrs. E. F.
White there are some flowers on a table, low
down to the left, standing luminous and quivering
with reality against a dark background, flowers
which even Fantin might have owned with pride.

His portraits were painted with wonderful
rapidity of workmanship. Some of the finest ex-
amples of his mastery and swift ease of technique
occupied a few hours only. Among them are
many done for pure pleasure, showing that a
painter does his best when he paints for himself.
In Pettie's self-chosen portraits there is a bravura
and audacity which is often lacking in imposed
commissions. Now and then, when he worked
solely for the joy of working, he produced a
portrait that had the power of an old master,
something of the rich colour and forceful chiaro-

A FAYRE LADYE
(Sim of original, 96 x 20.)

PORTRAITS 159

scuro of a Rembrandt, of the vigour and directness
of a Hals. A noteworthy example is the small
portrait of Dr. Burton. Pettie and the doctor,
then an old man of eighty-three, were fellow-
guests one week-end at the house of Mr. Winn
at Birmingham. After dinner on the Saturday
evening, they fell to talk of fishing, and Pettie
described his first efforts as an angler in the
stream that ran near the foot of the garden at
his early home in East Linton. The doctor,
who had never met him before, asked further
about this house and garden, and after an explana-
tion, burst out, "Do you know, Mr. Pettie, that
was my house you were living in ? " They struck
up a warm friendship, and towards the close of
the evening Pettie suggested quietly to Winn
that he would like to give him a portrait of his
friend. Burton was a fine old Scottish gentleman,
with a face full of character, who habitually wore
a costume, with skull-cap and low collar, that
might almost have belonged to a burgher of
Amsterdam in Rembrandt's day. It was a delight
to Pettie to look at him. A daughter of the
house had a small paint-box, which answered the
artist's needs ; but her canvas was too small, shops %
were shut, and a groom was despatched to ride

160 JOHN PETTIE

many miles in quest of a larger one. On the
Sunday morning, after the ladies crossed the road
to church, Pettie set to work ; and they returned
to find brushes laid aside and a striking portrait
on the canvas. A sitting of an hour next morning,
and the portrait, masterly and adroit in its per-
fection, was finished. Mr. Winn, the fortunate
possessor of the picture, vouches for the fact that
it was less than three hours in the painter's hands.

Another portrait, which was a deliberate test of
speed, is that of David Murray, R.A. It was
painted in Pettie's studio-hut at Glen Sannox in
Arran at a time when artists were discussing
Legros* method of completing rapid portrait studies
in front of his students. As he began, Pettie told
Murray to look at his watch. He then worked
hammer-and-tongs, though with several intervals,
during which he smoked and looked intently at
sitter and canvas, till, with a " There, that'll do/'
he put down his palette. The watch recorded an
hour and thirty-five minutes. When you look at
the brilliant result, it seems an incredibly short
time. On the day after this portrait was painted,
Murray went along to the studio for a sight of the
portrait, in which he took considerable pride. The
painter, who was smoking outside with Lockhart

PORTRAIT OF DR. BURTON
(Sim of original , 18 x 14)

PORTRAITS 161

and MacWhirter, greeted him: "I say, Murray,
there's been a lot of flies on your portrait, but I've
got them off, and I don't think there's any damage
done." Murray rushed in, and there was another
fly at the top right-hand corner of the canvas. He
stalked stealthily up, dashed at it, and the smudge
he made still remains. There was a roar of
laughter behind him, for the fly was a painted one.
Another sketch remarkable for its facile
dexterity and its translucent flesh-tones, is the
larger portrait, done in four hours, of Hamish
MacCunn. The same rapidity of execution and
similar success mark several other portraits done
in the same way for pleasure and remembrance:
among them, those in Mrs. Pettie's possession of her
four children, Alison, Graham, Ralph, and Norman.
Occasionally, and especially with a fidgety and
critical sitter, the period was much prolonged.
Bret Harte's portrait, for instance, was the out-
come of innumerable sittings. The reason in this
case was largely that painter and sitter thoroughly
enjoyed one another's company. Pettie's Scottish
humour made a strong appeal to the American,
and the two spent many an hour in capping each
other's stories. When Mr. Arthur Tooth was a

little diffident about sitting, and also doubtful as to

21

168 JOHN PETTEE

whether he could spare the necessary time, Pettie
dispelled his doubts by saying : " You give me six
sittings, each for as long as it takes you to smoke
a cigar," The six cigars were duly smoked, and
an excellent portrait was the result. For a
finished half-length, of about life-size, six or seven
sittings of two or three hours each was about the
average requirement.

An interesting portrait, a vigorous record of
personality, and fully typical of Pettie's strong
colour and incisive style, is that of J. Campbell
Noble,.R.S.A. 1 The portrait was painted in the
summer of 1889, when Pettie and his family were
spending a holiday at St. Abb's, a little fishing
village on the Berwickshire coast. Mr. Noble
was then living at Coldingham, a mile and a half
inland, and Pettie would frequently pay a visit
to his studio. This studio had begun life as two
stout-walled, white- washed cottages of the "but
and ben n type characteristic of a Scottish village.
While they stood new-built and unoccupied, a
split arose in the local United Presbyterian Church

1 Through the kindness of Mr. J. C. Noble and Miss Noble, I am en-
abled to give here a fairly full history of the making of one picture, with
notes of Pettie's technique as it struck an understanding observer.
Pettie's remark, " You beggar, you're painting me," was very near the
truth.

PORTRAIT OF J. CAMPBELL NOBLE, R.S.A.
(Site oforufinoi, 82 x 25.)

PORTRAITS 168

on the wine -at- the -Sacrament question. The
schismatic party rented the two cottages, gutted
them, and used them as a place of worship, being
known to the community as "The Cauld Water
Kirk." There was only one minister of the
charge, the congregation gradually dwindled
away, and at last the kirk stood empty. It was
turned into a studio for Noble by the simple
expedient of blocking up the windows and putting
a top light into the roof.

" Why, Noble," said Pettie on his first visit to
the long, low room, "this is just the sort of studio
that Rembrandt must have had in his young
days. They used to say that he discovered
* chiaroscuro, 9 but the truth is that he was a keen
observer, an impressionist if you like, who painted
just what he saw. In our great modern studios,
with their north windows and full light, we have
to put a sitter up against a screen or a curtain to
get a background. This background here is all
round your head. The flesh seems to live in
atmosphere, and the lights glow out against that
long vista of shadow exactly as they do in a
Rembrandt portrait. Man, it s a grand studio
this."

Among the canvases piled up against the wall

164 JOHN PETTEE

was one particular seascape, which the visitor
greatly admired and invariably hunted up. It was
a vivid piece of blue and emerald, which Noble
had painted down near the old harbour of St
Abb's, where, with a north-easter blowing on a day
of clear sunshine you will find a sea blue and
sparkling as ever the Mediterranean is. By way
of a joke, Noble would sometimes bury this canvas
behind several others and watch with quiet amuse-
ment while his friend turned them over in search
of what he called his "bit of blue/' One day,
Pettie, looking at it again with whole-hearted
pleasure, cried out, "Look here, Noble, if youTl
let me have this bit of blue, 111 have a shy at
your head/* The bargain was instantly struck.
James Watt, a young friend and ardent admirer of
Pettie's, who happened to be there, was told off
to stretch a canvas, and work was begun.

On that first day Pettie sketched the head
and figure in charcoal On the second day he
modelled the head carefully in white, and went
over the entire drawing, giving indications of the
colours to be used. At the third sitting, using in
the main big flat brushes, he worked his glazes of
colour into the white, beginning upon the left eye
with its drooping lid, that sign-mark of the true

PORTRAITS 166

artist He told Noble that he had recently read
in some eighteenth-century letters that Reynolds
began with this ground of white, and recalled that
Turner and Hook gained brilliant effects of light
by similar means. For the most part he worked
in silence, constantly smoking. Every quarter of
an hour or so he would pause and critically
consider his work; and then his sitter, keenly
interested, would go to study closely how the
portrait was progressing. At other times, Noble,
while he sat, would watch with fascination the
painters keen and mobile face. Looking up
suddenly on one of these occasions, and finding
himself fixed by the gaze, Pettie exclaimed, " Hang
it, you beggar, you re painting me I "

Noble used to set the palette every morning.
The colours comprised white, yellow ochre, raw
sienna, light red, Indian red, rose madder,' raw
umber, permanent blue, terra verte, and ebony
black; but no cadmium was allowed. Pettie
noticed this on the second day, and for a time
said nothing: then, half to himself and half to
Noble, "You don't care for cadmium? 9 ' "No."
" Why ? " " Well, I consider that cadmium leads
one into a very difficult and unreal scheme of
colour, and I try always to make yellow ochre

166 JOHN PETTIE

do all I want" " Then you think I use too much
cadmium?" " Whiles, " was the canny Scotch
reply, — " at least in your later pictures ; for when
Harry Frier and I were in London as students, and
visited your studio for the first time, we didn't
notice it The first picture where it struck us
was * Terms to the Besieged, 9 as far as I remember.
We put it down to your visit to Holland, or to the
influence of Rembrandt's ' Staalmeesters.' " u Aye,
now that's a grand picture — do you object to the
cadmium in that?" "I'm not so sure that it is
cadmium. I think that he used white, and
that time and varnish have turned it to a creamy
amber. And perhaps you'll remember that
Walpole described Reynolds' Waldegrave picture
— it's splendid now in its creamy mellowness — as
'dreadfully white and pinky' when it was painted.
Cadmium's risky. Time and varnish are things to
rely on."

Cadmium remained, therefore, a vexed question
till the last day of the sittings, when the palette
which covers the lower half of the portrait was in
process of painting. Pettie looked at the palette
which his sitter was holding, and said, " You land-
scape painters always have the colour slopping
over the edge of your palette." Then, suddenly,

THE MILKMAID

(Size qf original, 16* x 12*.)

PORTRAITS 167

after a pause, "Now, for God's sake, man, gie
me a bit o' cadmium. I'll promise to use it only on
the palette." A small tube was produced; and
with white, French blue, and cadmium, the painter
struck in that wonderful curved line, which is a
key-note to the composition and gives the palette's
edge with such marvellous illusion.

It may be added that the coat which Noble
wore throughout the sittings was a rough tweed,
and not the velvet which appears in the picture.
One day, Mr. James Craig, a friend of both artists,
came in to see how the work progressed. He was
dressed in more conventional artist attire than
either of the men whose profession was paint.
" You've got to have that velvet coat, Noble," said
Pettie, and commandeered it at once. It was a
poor fit, but on it went, and in it went, without
delay. The whole picture took seven days in the
making. Pettie's method was to work energetic-
ally, with but little conversation, during the
morning. Then came an adjournment for lunch
at the house hard by, with Mrs. Noble as a kindly
hostess. Afterwards, they would return to the
studio, Noble to work on one of his own landscapes,
Pettie to lie down on a rug on the floor and sleep.
Painting meant to him an extraordinary output

168 JOHN PETTIE

of vital energy. He would sometimes show a
sitter a little pool of perspiration in the palm of
the hand which held his palette. On waking, it
was his regular custom to set up the picture in
front of him and criticise it aloud, often with
shrewd and pointed comments, and then to make
a few alterations as the result.

As they came out of the studio one day, Pettie
exclaimed: "One thing I envy you painters
living in the country is the glorious skies that
you see/* "I think I've seen finer skies in
London/* said Noble, "than I have ever seen
here." Pettie was doubtful, but a year later,
when Noble was his guest at a Royal Academy
whitebait banquet at Greenwich, he acknowledged
the truth of it As they went down the Thames
by steamer on a splendid May day, with a hint of
opalescent mist overhanging the city, Noble said,
" You remember what I said about skies ? Now,
look at that " ; and Pettie confessed that he had
never seen a finer sky in this country or abroad. On
the boat was Sir John Millais, and spying Pettie
he called out (in reference to the Noble portrait,
then hanging at the Grosvenor Gallery) : " Hallo,
Pettie, I thought — in fact we all thought — that
this Vandyck business was a huge lark of yours,

PORTRAITS 169

but I see youve got your subject with you."
Noble was introduced, and as they gathered for
dinner afterwards, Millais took him aside, and said :
"You must excuse my joke with Pettie, but
honestly I congratulate you on being the possessor
of one of the finest portraits painted this century."
In connection with portraits a story comes to
mind that shows Pettie's honest pride and his con-
tempt for all humbug and paltriness. He had a
large commission to paint portraits of a self-made
man of enormous wealth, and of his wife. They
preferred not to give sittings in his studio, and at
some inconvenience he accepted an invitation to
their country-house, and took canvases with him.
On arrival he was received by a butler, who con-
ducted him straight to his bedroom, and told him
that dinner would be served in an adjoining room.
Pettie dined in solitary state, smoked a solitary
pipe, and went to bed. In the morning he rang
his bell, and had himself and canvases conveyed to
catch the earliest train back to London. The
nouveau riche is probably to this day wondering at
the strange eccentricity of artist folks.

22

CHAPTER VIII

SUBJECTS AND STYLE

From the outset of his career, it was the dramatic
in life, action, and colour that appealed to Pettie.
It has already been noted how, among all Scott
Lauder's pupils there was, as their early sketches
showed, a strong leaning towards episode and
incident With Pettie the love of a telling tale
remained throughout his life. He used to express
a belief that a picture without a story is a picture
deprived of half its interest. " Every landscape,"
he said once, "to me is a story"; but after a
pause, and meditatively, "but a pure landscape is
never so interesting as a landscape with figures — a
complete picture." He would argue, too, that
Rembrandt's magnificent technique and splendid
colour were wasted on his "beef- steaks." It
cannot have been very long before his death that I
visited his studio one day to borrow an old silver-

170

SUBJECTS AND STYLE 171

mounted pistol. It was to form part of a still-life
group to be submitted for some drawing prize at
school; and, on his asking how the subject was
to be treated, I explained that the pistol was to
lie on a Bible with silver clasps, which I had at
home. He was instantly up in arms against dulness
and convention — "I suppose you can't manage a
figure? Then why ever don't you put the pistol
on a counterpane, with a wisp of smoke coming
out of the muzzle, and call it 'The Suicide's
Weapon*?" He could have painted that pistol
and book on a tablecloth, and made the dark wood
and silver mountings glitter as if they were alive ;
but the picture to him would have had twice its
value with the wisp of smoke and the humped
counterpane to tell its tragic tale, to appeal to
mind as well as eye.

It has been said of Scottish art of the middle
,of last century that "every artist seemed to find
a mission in illustrating Sir Walter Scott: never
perhaps in the world's history was a country's art
so completely subjected to the sway of one
man." In his boyhood Pettie fell under the
wizard's power. His father and mother had both
frequently seen Scott's well-known figure in the
streets of Edinburgh, could recall the excitement

172 JOHN PETTIE

of the first appearance of Waverley and its suc-
cessors, and could tell their son the story of " The
Great Unknown." From the first, therefore, he
was powerfully affected by the novels of Scott, by
his richness of romance and stirring incident, his
masterly portrayal of character, his glow of life
and colour. Scott supplied not only the actual
subjects of many of his pictures — such as the
" Scene from The Fortunes of Nigel," and " Scene
from The Monastery " (two of his first exhibits at
the Scottish Academy), "Scene in Hal o' the
Wynd's Smithy/' "Scene from Peveril of the
Peak 9 n and "The Chieftain's Candlesticks "—but
also the inspiration for several more, among them
"What d'ye lack?" "Jacobites," "Disbanded,"
"The Highland Outpost," and "Bonnie Prince
Charlie."

I do not know whether he read Dumas ; but I
fancy not, for the man who painted " The Sword-
and-Dagger Fight," "The Time and Place," "In
Haste," and " Waiting," could never have resisted
the three rollicking musketeers, or the gay
D'Artagnan and his memorable duel At any
rate, he possessed the spirit of romance, in his
case a heritage from Scott rather than Dumas;
and his was a later- day revival of romance in

DISBANDED
($Ut <tf original, 86 x 26.)

SUBJECTS AND STYLE 178

paint, anticipating its revival in literature by
Stevenson, Stanley Weyman, and Anthony Hope.

Early Saxon and Norman life yielded themes
for "The Orientation of the Church" and "The
Palmer." He delighted in costly stuffs, in frills
and ruffles, silks and satins, the glitter of a sword
or breastplate, the sheen of military accoutrements.
He gloried in the days of old romance, of lordly
gallants and ladies gay, who could love and
hate, who took savage joy in the clash of steel.
And so the Elizabethan and Cromwellian periods
became his greatest favourites, and enabled him to
select incidents where red-robed cardinals, richly-
costumed cavaliers, and armoured soldiers played
their parts. The contrast between the grim,
warlike saints of Cromwell's tattered regiments
and the gay cavaliers, with their "long essenced
hair" and "perfumed satin clothes," appealed to
his imagination and colour sense. This period
gave him rich store of such subjects as "Crom-
well's Saints," "Distressed Cavaliers," "At Bay,"
" Ho ! Ho ! Old Noll ! " " A Member of the Long
Parliament," "His Grace" and "Her Grace,"
"A Brimmer to the King," and "A Lady of the
Seventeenth Century."

From Shakespeare he drew several subjects —

174 JOHN PETTIE

" The Disgrace of Cardinal Wolsey," " Touchstone
and Audrey," "Silvius and Phebe," "A Scene in
the Temple Gardens," " Friar Laurence and Juliet,*
"Dost know this Waterfly?" Sheridan's School
for Scandal inspired "The Toast," " Sir Peter and
Lady Teazle," and "Charles Surface selling his
Ancestors." Many more subjects were entirely
the offspring of his own imagination. Full of
sympathy and humanity, he passed from tragic
scenes of history to pure humour, as in "The
Prison Pet," "The Trio," "The Tussle for the
Keg " ; or to comedies in little, touched with light
fancy and the joy of life, like " A Storm in a Tea-
cup," " Rejected Addresses," " Two Strings to her
Bow," and " The World went very well then " ; or
to happy domestic themes, such as "The Solo"
and " The Step."

In "George Fox refusing to take the Oath,"
and in " The Duke of Monmouth and James II.,"
he depicted scenes based on historical foundation.
But in many pictures, and among them his finest
pictures, he did not limit himself to the narrow
bounds of a definite historical episode. He gave the
spirit of history, its background and atmosphere,
and painted those happenings that underlie and
give rise to great historical facts. "Cromweirs

THE CLASH OF STEEL

(Nize of original S7& x 66J.)

SUBJECTS AND STYLE 175

Saints " and " A Member of the Long Parliament "
summarise between them, as clearly as a whole
chapter of a history - book, the character of
Cromwell's followers. There may be no written
evidence as to the first death-warrant signed by
Edward VI., yet we can well imagine the sad-eyed
look with which the boy king took the pen from
an aged councillor to sign away for the first time
a man's life. "The Drum-head Court Martial "
depicts no historical scene, yet it sets before us in
vivid reality an improvised tribunal, such as must
have hanged many a man in the wars of the
seventeenth century. Beleaguered towns in the
same century witnessed many a scene such as
" The Sally," " Terms to the Besieged," " The Flag
of Truce," "The Threat," and "The Ultimatum."
"Treason," "The Traitor," "The State Secret"
are the very stuff of which history is made. All
his work shows the possession of that quality
which the formal critics of literature call vision.
He actually saw the things that he painted, as
they really were, in their own atmosphere, whether
of the seventeenth century or of fifty years ago,
whether they were things of state, plots, and deep-
laid treachery, or things of romance, the tragedies
or little humours of life, whether in palace, camp,

176 JOHN PETTIE

or country lane. And he saw and heard his
characters, whether king or cardinal, proud dame
or rustic maiden. He made them all live and
breathe. His pictures are quick and alive —
une tranche de la vie. It is no mean art that can
give on one canvas the whole spirit and circum-
stance of a period in history.

Essentially modern, and in contact with modern
humanity, Pettie chose deliberately to devote his
talent almost wholly to a past of romantic drama,
which offered him warmth of colour and action.
He could grapple at close quarters with modern
life, but he preferred the defroque of another period.
If he painted the portrait of a friend for his own
pleasure, he liked to see him in character, to trans-
plant him to another century, and make him a
man-at-arms, a scholar of the time of Titian, or a
reverend burgher of Rembrandt's day.

In Pettie's day painters were not too par-
ticular about historical accuracy. Even the Pre-
Raphaelites, careful as they were about local truth
of colour and landscape, were content to fabricate
their costumes. Pettie was one of the first
to insist on absolute correctness of dress and
accessories, but they were correct without any
consciousness of archaeological research. In many

GRANDMOTHERS MEMORIES

(Size of original, 20 X 15.)

SUBJECTS AND STYLE 177

historical pictures the costume seems simply to be
transferred from the glass case of a museum to the
glass casing of the picture-frame. Pettie lent his
buff coats and silken doublets, his rapiers and
his halberds, a new vitality and expressiveness.
Clothes with him were never theatrical properties,
never things with a suggestion of fancy dress or
tableau vivant He inspired them, in every scene
he painted, with the feeling of lightness and
reality.

Long before the close of Pettie's career, the
subject-picture had fallen on evil days. Criticism
was beginning to look askance at the storied canvas,
and to demand subjectivity in the highest art. It
was claimed that a picture should not exact a refer-
ence to a catalogue or to some form of commentary,
or presuppose a knowledge of some particular
incident in poetry, drama, or history. The " literary
idea" was condemned. This was largely due, no
doubt, to a reaction after the mid -century
period of degeneration and banality in art. The
affectations and commonplace prettiness of Poole,
Leslie, Egg, Mulready, and other artists in genre,
meant a sacrifice of truth to artifice. They all
had to find some incident on which to hang their
art With all of them matter transcended manner,

28

178 JOHN PETTIE

and the intellectual side of art ranked above the
technical Of Fettie that cannot be said, for as
some one has written of him and of Orchardson :
"These men are primarily colourists. They are
thinking of paint while others are thinking in
paint. They are thinking of art while the others
are thinking of Christianity, romance, the moral
story, and the social assembly.'' Though Pettie
frequently found inspiration in literature, in the
greater part of his work he showed that he could
do without an author, and displayed a power of
invention which the preceding generation had never
known. It cannot be said of him that " literature
is the straw without which no bricks are possible."
Narrative interest, it is true, offers no substitute
for art qualities, though too often it leads the
casual and ignorant observer to lavish admiration
on what is debased and pernicious art. The
" average person " is apt to judge a picture by its
appeal to his sentiment, and to accept gladly what
satisfies his uneducated sense of colour. But the
"literary idea" in a picture does not necessarily
preclude it from a niche in the temple of art, else
were Michel Angelo and Velasquez, Rembrandt
and Rubens under the ban. Literature may be the
handmaid of art without art being the slave of

SUBJECTS AND STYLE 179

literature. The great picture depends for its great-
ness on a combination of inherent qualities of line,
form, colour, and chiaroscuro. And the greatest
of these, the language of the painter, is colour.
All those qualities the subject-painting may possess,
and it has a further advantage in the wide range of
its appeal It may touch passions that all can feel,
and express truths that all can recognise. In old
days art was employed in the service of the few ;
the artist's patron was the Church, Royalty, the
State, the princely Nobility. To-day the artist
depends on universal suffrage; the People is his
patron. In a sense, therefore, the greatest painter
is he who can paint for the cultured and the con-
noisseur, and at the same time meet the apprehen-
sion of ordinary men. In literature, Bunyan, Scott,
Burns, Dickens, are among the hierarchy, because
they both satisfy cultured criticism and win the
sympathy of the masses by never losing touch with
the elemental interests of humanity. Subject-paint-
ings like those of Pettie make the wider appeal
He knew the value of the "brute incident," and
learned from Scott how the charm of incident and
circumstance gives body and blood, and makes for
perennial interest "This is the plastic part of
literature," wrote R. L. Stevenson, "to embody

180 JOHN PETTIE

character, thought, or emotion in some act or
attitude that shall be remarkably striking to the
mind's eye. This is the highest and hardest thing
to do in words ; the thing which, once accomplished,
equally delights the schoolboy and the sage, and
makes, in its own right, the quality of epics."
That is what Fettie did in paint. His pictures
make this wide claim for sympathy ; and every
one of them is, besides, not merely a subject, but a
problem of line, colour, and illumination. Whether
one ranks him with the great painters of all time
depends, therefore, on the estimate formed of his
colour and his technical power.

" Great art," says Ruskin, " is the expression of
the mind of a great man ; and mean art that of the
want of mind of a weak man" Pettie's art was
great, because his was a strong personality. Never,
I think, has an artist's temperament been more
absolutely reflected in style as well as in subject
His work was the immediate response to his own
vigorous nature. If you look at one of his finest
pictures, the subject becomes secondary ; it is the
splendid impetuosity of his style that arrests the
attention and thrills the blood with its martial
note, like the tramp of armed men, the beating of
drums, or the trumpet-call From his full enjoy-

THE CARDINAL

(Size 0/ original, 30 X 22.)

SUBJECTS AND STYLE 181

ment of life he gathered joy for his work. There
was no wastage, no anxious search for the best way
of self-expression, no agonies of failure. The best
that was in him could all be given to splendid
labour.

One of the most rapid of workers, he painted
in a white heat, sometimes almost a fury, of
strenuous effort He met difficulties or grappled
with a new subject with an irresistible dash and
cheerfulness, like that of the old British seamen
when they came to close quarters and boarded a
foeman's ship. His technical achievement of
draughtsmanship was of no common order, and
his hand was trained to work in quick sympathy
with the swiftest perceptions of his brain. In the
sense that he saw his subject steadily and saw it
whole, that he worked with the rapidity essential
for the expression of his first idea, he was an
impressionist in the best and truest sense of the
word. He worked directly and unconsciously,
not brooding with keen analysis on the scientific
placing of his paint, but out of a vivid imagination
and exceptional power of mental creation, placing
rapidly on the canvas what had taken form in his
head. He rarely made sketches or preliminary
studies. Sometimes in search of a subject or an

182 JOHN PETITE

inspiration as to what shape an idea should take,
he would shut himself up in his studio and, as he
expressed it, "simply walk the deck for a day and
a halt" But when that walking the deck was over,
his conception was clearly formulated, ready to be
embodied on the canvas with speed and certainty.
Working in this way, he retained his freshness
right to the completion of each picture, while
other artists are often exhausted by preliminary
studies and elaborations. And whereas so many
pictures of the type which he painted suffer from
an extreme of finish and undue stress upon detail,
Pettie knew when he had finished and laid aside
his brush at the moment when the picture held all
its freshness, and when, without a suggestion of
labour, every stroke contributed to give it life.
That virtue of knowing when to stop was not
shared by all the members of the Lauder School
It was the great failing of George Paul Chalmers
and of Tom Graham, fine and subtle colourists
both of them, that they could never bring them-
selves to regard a picture as complete, but always
wanted to refine on it Graham was one of many
who used to beg for Pettie's assistance in a time of
difficulty. I have heard Pettie say, after a long
afternoon in Graham's studio : " Now, Graham, if

SUBJECTS AND STYLE 183

you put another touch to that figure you'll be a
damned fool." And next day that figure would
be spoiled.

Pettie always deprecated any set processes or
methods of painting, and was almost prejudiced
against any particular method, even when laid
down by a man whose work and ability he
admired. Widely catholic in his tastes, he was
convinced that art was the last thing to which
rigid formulas could be applied. Though his own
methods varied with varying circumstances, that
indicated already in connection with his portrait
of Mr. J. C. Noble held good, at any rate
with portraits, during the later part of his career.
"The idea of Pettie's white process," Mr. Briton
Riviere tells me, "no doubt rests on the fact that
like all true oil-painters he felt very strongly that
painting should invariably proceed from light to
dark. This made a white ground invaluable. He
also used some of his touches with such thin pure
paint that a solid ground became almost a necessity,
and I have known him at the same painting place
his second coat, so to speak, over the solid that he
had laid in a few minutes before. In this case he
would trust to his exquisite sleight of hand (his
great strong hand was far more light and dexterous

184 JOHN PETTIE

than many of far more delicate form) to produce a
surface quality and a sheen of colour not to be
attained in any other way."

He began by laying on paint like water-colour
with light brushings in thin transparent tints,
giving outlines and dominant notes, and leaving
large spaces to be filled later. His advice to a
painter of subject-pictures was to begin always
with the heads of the principal figures, putting
behind them a suggestion of the colour that was
required to relieve them. He held that the highest
finish should be bestowed upon the central figures,
which should fix and fascinate the gaze, summing
up and explaining the whole picture, and that there
should be nothing in the background to cause
momentary distraction. His doctrine was that
inherited by Wilkie and the Scottish School from
the old Dutchmen, that paint should be thin in the
shadows, more opaque in the high lights. " Keep
your shadows transparent," was his advice, "and
never lose the tooth of your canvas/'

For Pettie himself colour was the be-all and
end-all of his existence. In student days, when he
went home with Chalmers and talked so late that
he had to stay for the night, his "talk was all of
colour." From his recollections of Fitzroy Square

i

SUBJECTS AND STYLE 185

in 1868 Mr. Dobell tells me — " Pettie was emphati-
cally a painter. He thought and felt and talked
' paint ' ; not design, not composition, not drawing,
but paint ; paint as the representative of all that
eye sees in Nature, and which the painter with
certain colours has to translate on a flat surface of
panel or canvas." In his easy power, his fluent
grandeur of style, he was of the lineage of
Rubens — whom he himself described as "the last
great colourist" Whether in shadow or in light,
his colour has, in a high degree, those qualities
of resonance and vibration which distinguish the
masters of this essential of the painter's craft His
own warmth of nature seemed to reject all chilli-
ness. He was happiest when he carried every tint
to its highest power, gaining rich harmonies of
contrasted tones with a full and sumptuous brush*
His palette was of great range and variety, but he
excelled in combinations of black and blue and
yellow. Like John Phillip, he deliberately took
the most trying colours — crimson, yellow, and pink
— and struck each bold and resonant note with
firm decision. I have noted already his employ-
ment of red, whose full melody he loved to elicit
But amid all the sonorous majesty of his colour
there are subtle cadences and delicate touches

24

186 JOHN PETTIE

of orchestration that the virtuoso knows how to
appreciate. Here is a good summary, written in
1878, by a distinguished French critic, M. Duranty :

M. Pettie se sert d'un jeu de colorations bien complete
ou la dissonance est habilement employee, et ou le caractere
aigu des tons prend une importance vraiment interessante
sans briser le lien qui les rattache aux basses foncees.
]£nergique, personnel, hardi et tres riche en modulations se
montre cet artiste dont les figures sont si expressives et
animees.

In reference to Pettie's colour and technique,
the opinion of a friend and contemporary, an eye-
witness of his work, and himself an enthusiast in
paint, is of extreme value. In a letter which it is
my privilege to quote, Mr. Briton Riviere, R.A.,
after describing his first meeting with Pettie in
1867, continues :

He began at once to preach to me his belief; and it
was quite new to one who had been brought up on the John
Pye principles of black and white, light and shade, pure and
simple. "Eh, man," said Pettie, "there's only one thing
valuable and lasting in art, and that is colour. Try for
that, and look for it in everything." This was his creed,
and he never wavered in it, and in after years if any one
sometimes thought him almost intolerant and unappreciative
of some really good work, it was because this colour principle
was almost a religion to him, and he felt that time and
thought should not be wasted outside this serious path.

Everything connected with art and his work was serious

SUBJECTS AND STYLE 187

to a degree in his estimation, and in spite of his natural
buoyancy of temperament and his many sources of happiness
outside his work, I do not believe he was ever free from the
care and anxiety of deciding what would be best for the
particular piece of work which he had in hand at the time.
I have heard him speak severely of another artist, who joked
about his picture in a manner which showed that he was
not impressed by the serious nature of the work. Though
the subject motive of his work was important to him, and
human nature and shades of character interested him greatly,
yet he was never led away by these from his primary idea of
colour. He told me that in thinking out a picture he first
evolved a combination of colour, say black and red (he had
an absolute passion for red in all its tones), and as soon as
he had made this scheme plain to himself, he then thought
out and built up his subject upon it, but he was not satisfied
to paint his colour arrangement without what he considered
an adequate subject.

He would run any risk in his work in order to " carry it
far, 1 " as he put it When a face was really very complete,
he would say, " Now, that wants to be carried farther. I
may lose a good deal, but this should now have a skin of
paint all over to pull it together.'" This he would at once
set about with evident anxiety, but with great courage and
obviously with a kind of awful pleasure in the risk and joy
of a possible success. "Paint should be delicious, man.
What's the good of painting mud?" "It's not perhaps so very
difficult to paint a bit of flesh this size," holding up the back
of his closed fist, " but to paint fine colour in a life-sized face
is really difficult" " Let me see a man's palette, and I'll soon
tell you if he is a colourist" l

1 It is noteworthy that Whistler, at the opposite pole to Pettie in a
sense, should have also preached the doctrine that the palette is the
man. " The picture is practically finished on the palette/' was one of

188 JOHN PETTEE

In analysing Pettie's work, with a view to
estimating his position as a painter, it is fortunate
that it may be studied as an organic whole. There
were no very marked periods in it, as in the work
of his Scottish predecessors, Raeburn, Wilkie, and
Phillip. After the first few pictures done under
the Scott Lauder influence, with their broad fusion
of brushing, Petties style became formed and
complete. From its first manifestation in, say,
"The Old Lieutenant and his Son," to his last
exhibits at the Royal Academy, it shows no great
change or development, unless perhaps an increas-
ing boldness and directness. But though there
are no sharp differentiations, showing traces of
diverse influences, as is the case with most artists,
yet there are certain developments to be indicated.
With "The Arrest for Witchcraft" (1866),
"Treason" (1867), and "The Sally" (1870), he
reached his full maturity, and into the ten to
twelve years that followed he crowded several of
his works that are most masterly in colour and
in the broad vigour and restraint of their style.
Posterity, I think, will judge that, and judge it

his dicta. When he started his famous but short-lived Academy in
Paris, he would often ask for a pupil's palette. On one occasion he
looked at a Scotchman's canvas, and fired at him the inevitable request.
" I've hidden it," the conscience-stricken offender blurted out

SUBJECTS AND STYLE 189

rightly, as the period of his best work. None
the less, there is something very attractive in the
smaller canvases of his earlier years, an adroitness
and daintiness of touch, which at times is perhaps
more winning than the broader generalisation and
the bolder brushwork that the larger canvases en-
tailed On the other hand, those larger canvases,
which began with "The Arrest for Witchcraft,"
gave a feeling of freedom, the room for his elbow
that a man of his temperament required The
big canvas called out all the fire, energy, and
enthusiasm of his nature. And if the work of
his last twelve years drops just below the level
of his middle period, both in colour and in restful
beauty of design, the reason is just that he was
carried away by that very fire and enthusiasm, by
his immense capacity for rapid and dramatic work-
manship. From about 1880 onwards, many of his
pictures carried out on a large scale are almost
unsurpassed in dashing brilliance of technique,
which, however, is hardly compensation for the
reticence of the earlier days. The colour became
vigorous and representative rather than innately
and essentially pictorial.

His portraits, which belong mainly to his later
years, have a radiance and flower-like richness of

190 JOHN PETITE

colour that recall Rubens's finest work. Many of
them possess a grace and vivacity which show that
he never lost his swift touch and keen accent. In
others he seems to have been betrayed into a
certain amount of forced illumination and rigidity
of contour. This is due partly to the fact that in
these years he never shrank from using white, not
only as a ground, but in his high lights. Though
critics and the public were inclined to cavil at this
latest phase of his work, he himself claimed that
time would bring justification. When driven to
make some defence, he fell back on the saying
credited by tradition to Vandyck. "Time will
colour them," was the reply of the Flemish master
to some one who said that the portraits in a dark
part of his studio were so white that they looked
like ghosts. An exhibition such as that at Edin-
burgh this year (1908), where seventeen of Pettie's
works were shown, brings home the truth of this
remark. More than one artist (and on a point like
this the painter is the truest judge) told me that
pictures which he remembered as being a little
harsh and metallic in the first lustre of their
" exhibition pitch n twenty years ago or more had
all mellowed and ripened with the passage of time.
Though colour was his main interest, Pettie

SUBJECTS AND STYLE 191

rarely lost sight of the structural qualities which
in pictorial anatomy are the bones where colour is
the flesh. To look at his pictures from this point
of view alone is to recognise how splendidly and
inevitably right he usually was in the arrangement
of his figures, and in the restful balance of light and
shade. One of his best and most artistic qualities —
an outcome of his fine draughtsmanship — was the
singular truth and power of suggestion with which
he represented violent action, swift and impulsive
movement in all its vigour of animal life. It was
owing to his fine draughtsmanship and mastery of
technical intricacies, no less than to his colour, that
he carried to completion work which tempted
fortune by the greatness of its intention, or which an
artist of less skill and power of concentration would
probably have abandoned in despair.

As in his speech and daily life he was honest
and direct, a lover of plain statement, so in his
painting Pettie used no circumlocutions: he was
robust in his sense of design, impatient of trivial
and restless details. In this respect his work
contains not only his own spirit, but the spirit
and tradition of his country. Where so much
of the painting of to-day is hybrid and cosmo-
politan in character, this is national, strong and

192 JOHN PETTIE

distinct in aim, dignified in expression. There is
nothing here of the flashy parade of technique,
generated mainly in the ateliers of Paris, with its
entire absence of motive, or its motive of mare
ugliness. His is wholesome, sincere British art,
inspiriting in its honest truth and artistic sanity.

In the list of his works will be found a few
water-colour drawings. Only on rare occasions
did he make use of water-colours, — once or twice
on a holiday when he was itching to put something
into colour and no oils were at hand ; sometimes
for a rapid sketch when the idea came to him for
a picture, such as those for " The Tiff" and " Two
Strings to her Bow." His light and free use of the
medium in the latter sketch shows a power which
he never himself realised. " Life's too short, and
my fist's too clumsy," he once remarked, when
urged to use water-colour more.

It is by his work in oil and by his power as a
colourist that Pettie will live. For amid all the
things that make for great and living art, colour is of
paramount importance. " If not the first, it is at
least an essential quality in painting," wrote Pettie's
predecessor, Sir David Wilkie, "and no master has
as yet maintained his ground beyond his own time
without it ; in oil-painting it is richness and depth

TWO STRINGS TO HER BOW ( Water-Coiour Sketch)
(Size of original, 13 X 18.)

r

SUBJECTS AND STYLE 198

alone that can do justice to the material" The
starved surface and the subdued, sombre tints of
pictures that now seem astounding masterpieces
of tone and quality must inevitably melt into
nothingness beneath the dust and decay of passing
years. Time and varnish, "those greatest of old
masters,* will mellow and harmonise, but never
obscure the brilliance of Pettie's work. He
possessed in a large measure the other qualities
that make for greatness in art, and he was a great
colourist Colour will prevail.

25

CHAPTER IX

CHARACTER AND PURSUITS

John Pettie's life was uneventful in the sense that
the foil story of its events, the ordinary episodes
of a happy and prosperous existence, would be
monotonous of relation save to the most intimate
of the painter's friends. The preceding chapters,
therefore, have contained little more than an
attempt to give a synthetic arrangement of the
essential facts of his career, and to indicate the
nature and value of his work. Enough, however,
has perhaps been said to suggest how that work
was a mirror to the steadfastness and simplicity of
his sterling character. And as the last chapter
was an attempt to summarise the motives and style
of his work as a painter, there may be added here
an even briefer summary of the character and
pursuits of the man, and of their relation to his
work.

194

CHARACTER AND PURSUITS 195

His own pleasures and recreations were reflected
in his pictures. He was an enthusiastic collector,
a lover of armour, tapestry, and old furniture.
Though he had good judgment and a cultured taste,
he made no claim to the scientific knowledge of an
antiquary, and his collection was made always for
his own use and service rather than for its intrinsic
value from the point of view of a connoisseur. At
his first visit to London, before he was twenty, he
picked up an old sword, two helmets, a skull, and a
" leather bottel." He sent sketches of them in a
letter to McTaggart, and wrote : " It nearly ruined
me; got home with twopence, and had to get a
loan. I believe I would have bought the whole
shop, had I had the money." On his return home
he set to work on " a little thing, a scene in a studio,
in which I stuffed all the things as detail." This
was "The Young Student," but before it was
exhibited at the Scottish Academy in 1859 he
painted out the armour, his artistic sense even at
this early period leading him to sacrifice obtrusive
detail for the central interest of his figures. Soon
after he sold his first picture in London, he was
prowling one day with C. E. Johnson in the
purlieus of Wardour Street Johnson lost sight of
him, but in a few minutes heard a voice calling :

196 JOHN PETTIE

"Come here, Johnson, I've just bought fifteen
pounds worth of swords!" He always loved
armour. Pictures such as "The Threat" and
" The Ultimatum " were little more than an excuse
for painting it,

His first acquaintance with Mr. Seymour Lucas,
long before the latter became a prominent painter,
came about in connection with a piece of armour.
Some one had told him that Seymour Lucas had a
beautiful casque, the very thing required for the
picture he had in hand, so he called to beg it on
loan. Seymour Lucas knew it was a good piece —
he had just bought it for over £20 from T. B.
Hardy — and he offered to exchange it for some
small sketch by Pettie, whose work he passionately
admired It is characteristic of the latter that he
refused to have the casque on these terms, but
taking it away on loan insisted on painting a
portrait of Seymour Lucas, then quite unknown to
fame, and receiving in exchange for it one of the
young artist's own water-colours.

Though never a member, Pettie was a frequent
visitor at the " Kernoozers' Club," a select little
body of artists and others, who were united by a
common love of arms and armour. It was founded
in the studio of Mr. Seymour Lucas in 1880, and is

CHARACTER AND PURSUITS 197

still in existence. Baron de Cosson, the famous
collector, was the first President, Mr. Lucas
being Vice-President, while at a later period Mr.
Egerton Castle became champion swordsman to
the club. Good-fellowship and sound scholarship
were the two main essentials. Entertainment for
the evening was provided by the member at whose
house the monthly meeting was held. It was a
strict regulation that the fare should be of the
simplest kind — roast beef, cheese, beer, claret, pipes,
tobacco, whisky, and nothing more. Amid the
wreaths of smoke they held debate on historical
dress and fine armour, on casque and chanfron,
solleret and cuisse. Various " kernoozers " brought
the pieces of armour which they had acquired
during the month ; these were discussed, and some-
times a paper was read. On a special visitors'
night, Mr. Egerton Castle and another member
would explain feats of swordsmanship or illustrate
a " sword - and - dagger fight" Pettie was often
present and besides enjoying the social character
of the meetings, got many a wrinkle as to weapons
and their uses.

On points of history and connoisseurship Pettie
would often ask the advice of his friend, Seymour
Lucas; but even the connoisseur is not infallible,

198 JOHN PETITE

and Mr. Lucas has a story to tell against himself.
In Petties studio was a finely engraved demi-suit
which his friend never saw without coveting, and
so one day he offered to swop it for a black Crom-
wellian suit in his own collection, which he knew
Pettie wanted and would find useful Taking
home his new treasure in a cab, he set it up in his
studio, and spent an hour in gazing on its beauties
and patting it with all the joy of the born collector
in his newest acquisition. Then he set to work to
scour the metal, and to his sorrow found that
scarcely any part of it was genuine ! But he never
confessed to Pettie, for he did not wish his friend
to lose trust in his antiquarian knowledge, or
to send back the Cromwellian suit, which he
knew would be the result of any confession
made. The Cromwellian armour stood in Pettie's
studio to the day of his death, and figures in
" A Member of the Long Parliament n and other
of his works.

Pettie was devoted to music, though he was never
a musician. He had experimented in quite early
days with the organ, and he had essayed to play the
flute and to pick out a tune on the piano, but he
never acquired the mastery of any instrument. It
was the colour of music, its harmony and melody,

CHARACTER AND PURSUITS 199

its richness and emotion that haunted him. It is
a psychological fact of no little interest that in
music he found actual inspiration for his work.
He loved to have some one playing the pianoforte
while he painted. Best of all, he liked the
accompaniment of a duet, with loud and martial
airs, such as Hamish MacCunn and his cousin,
Andrew Ker, would sometimes play, and always,
when they ceased from sheer exhaustion, he would
spur them on to renewed efforts. His passion for
music was sometimes almost too great a burden to
his musical friends. Whether he was hard at work
on some canvas or chatting and smoking in the
evening, he was always eager for music as a back-
ground to work or talk.

I can remember how in Arran, as we returned
from some picnic, or rowed lazily home by moon-
light from an evening's fishing in Brodick Bay, he
would start some part-song, such as "Scotland's
Burning n or " Who'll buy my White Sand ? " He
hummed and sang at his work, and the man who
sings at his task has a good heart, " for song gives
a permanent sense of futurity and a permanent
sense of the presence of Divine things." And as
the sailor has songs for each separate task, songs of
joy, sorrow, and reminiscence, or as the peasant has

200 JOHN PETTIE

his songs for harvest and the winter fire, so Pettie
would vary his music with his work ; when he was
painting Mr. Cope as the Cavalier in " A Brimmer
to the King," breaking into Jacobite ditties —
"Charlie is my Darling," or "Over the Sea to
Skye"; or, while he worked on "Ho! Ho! Old
Noll/' bursting merrily into "Down among the
Dead Men let him lie ! "

Long before there was any thought of Hamish
MacCunn becoming his son-in-law, Pettie was
keenly interested in his early success as a com-
poser. In 1888 he sent as a Christmas card to
Mrs. Pettie from Birmingham, where he had been
present at the performance of one of MacCunn 's
early works, a prophetic dream of " The Monster
Orchestral Concert performed at Birmingham in
1889, sketched by a Royal Academician who was
present on the great occasion/' It was curious
that June 4th of 1889, the year of his dream, was
to see the marriage of his daughter Alison to the
composer. It gave Pettie the greatest pleasure
to be brought into close association with the
musical world, and his daughter's marriage was
the prelude to many pleasant evenings of music in
the great studio at " The Lothians." Even before
the marriage, Pettie organised two orchestral

CHARACTER AND PURSUITS 201

concerts in his studio with an orchestra of sixty
members — a large one for a private house — which
provided entertainment for over two hundred and
fifty guests. Hamish MacCunn conducted, and
overtures by himself and others were the main
features of the programme.

A glance through the list of Pettie's works will
show how his love of music was reflected in his
pictures. "The Flageolet," "The Minstrel," and
"The Trio" were all painted before 1865, and
between these and "The Violinist," one of his
last exhibits at the Academy, came such works
as "The Rehearsal," "The Love Song," "The
Solo," "The Musician," and "A Song without
Words."

He had another source of solace and inspiration,
for he was a prodigious smoker. A well-coloured
meerschaum figures rightly as a sign-manual in
Mr. Cope's admirable portrait of the painter (now
in Mrs. Pettie's possession), for it was as much
part and parcel of his work as the tubes of paint
and bottles of varnish beside which it lies. My
father used to relate how once starting with
Pettie for an afternoon's outing, he slipped into
a tobacconist's and bought two superlative cigars
at a most extravagant price. It caused him much

26

208 JOHN PETTIE

amusement when Pettie, on getting to the end of
his, pulled out the old meerschaum, and said with
great emphasis : " Ah, weel ! Now for a smoke ! "
One of the few occasions when he did not long for
a smoke was when crossing the English Channel.
But one journey was a triumph, for, ensconcing
himself by the paddle-box with a very long French
roll in one hand and a bottle of claret in the other,
he took bite and sup alternately throughout the
voyage. His fellow-passengers were highly amused ;
but he was not sea -sick, and chuckled over the
first pipe he had ever enjoyed between Dover and
London.

"The Tennis Player * and the background of
"Ho! Ho! Old Noll" are evidence of Pettie's
attachment to the game of tennis. He and
Orchardson strolled one day into the tennis-court
behind the Bedford Hotel at Brighton, took up
a pair of rackets, and set themselves to solve the
mysteries of the old king of games, quite a different
pastime from the lawn-tennis of to-day. When
living at St John's Wood, both of them, with an
athletic energy not very usual among artists, were
keen players in the court at Lord's Cricket Ground,
and Pettie's quick eye and strong wrist were of
service in a game that calls for considerable strength

CHARACTER AND PURSUITS 208

as well as skill. At a later period Orchardson
added another tennis-court to the few existing in
England by building one in the garden of his
house at Westgate.

In his early days Pettie learned, in a pool
at the foot of his father's garden at East Linton,
the art of fishing, and all his life remained an en-
thusiastic angler. As far back as 1858 he writes,
evidently with some searchings of heart, of " taking
it a little quietly up the water with my rod, and
wondering whether McTaggart is hard at work."
He was up to his knees in Loch Tanna, in Arran,
when his future son-in-law was first introduced to
him. He could cast a line with neatness and
dexterity, and was rarely more happy than when
with rod in hand he whipped a likely stream. He
was always a purist in fishing, believing in fly-
fishing of the strictest type. I have heard of his
horror and indignation, on an occasion when he
had a special order from the Duke of Hamilton
to fish some choice piece of preserved water, to
find two elderly gentlemen not only in possession
of the most likely spot, but seated well out on
some rocks, angling away for salmon trout with
a string of worms fastened with red wool ! For
one or two seasons Pettie shared a fishing with

204 JOHN PETTEE

Orchardson on the Kennet near Marlborough,
where he landed many a fine trout.

"The Way to the Loch," "Trout-fishing in
the Highlands," and "Young Izaak Walton" are
among pictures in which the fishing motive pre-
vails. In the last-named picture Izaak Walton
lies, with a good basket beside him, holding a
book in his hand. One can imagine it The Com-
pleat Angler, open at the appropriate lines which
contain a good deal of Pettie's own philosophy :

Man's life is but vain,

For 'tis subject to pain
And sorrows, and short as a bubble ;

Tis a hodge-podge of business,

And money, and care,
And toil, and money, and trouble.

But we'll take no care

If the weather prove fair,
Nor will we vex aught though it rain ;

We will banish all sorrow

And sing till to-morrow,
And angle and angle again !

He had good opportunity of fishing, both in
river and sea, in the island of Arran, which he
visited with his family almost every year for the
last twelve years of his life. Three summers were
passed at Brodick, where he had a warm friend in
Mr. M'Lean, the Presbyterian minister, while later

CHARACTER AND PURSUITS 205

holidays were spent at Corrie. In 1888, when
working on Mrs. Coats's portrait, he had a studio
hut built at the foot of Glen Sannox, with a
good fishing stream running very near the door.
Though his summer holidays were usually spent
in his "ain countree," he made several trips to
Italy with Mrs. Pettie, nearly always with Venice
as the chief goal. One such tour which he
particularly enjoyed was made in company with
William Black the novelist

Pettie liked young faces about him, and his
own ever-young nature was in full sympathy with
youthful spirit. To children on their birthdays
he would sometimes send a caricature of them-
selves, or of his own head. Here is a note dashed
off one evening to a friend's son, a boy of twelve,
who was showing some talent in drawing : " Will
you come and give me a sitting to-morrow morning
at 10 o'clock, like a good chap ? Some day when
you are a great artist, and I have a white beard,
111 give you a sitting for a Moses, Jeremiah, or
some other grand historical character/' At the
end is an amusing caricature of himself with a
flowing beard and a bald head. To Miss Agnes
MacCunn, who was making a collection of auto-
graphs, he writes :

S06 JOHN PETTIE

Thb Lothians, Fitzjohn's Avbkuk.
N&o. 23/91.

My deab Nancy — I got your very nice letter and wa*
ashamed that I should have forgotten about the autographs.
However, I will not wait for more, and just send you what I
can lay my hands upon at once.

Here are Orchardson, Black, Charlie Green, the black-
and-white illustrator, and £. A. Abbey, who is such a clever
fellow. He has done wonderful illustrations in Harper's
Magazine besides pictures in oil and water-colour. I was
visiting him on Sunday at Fairfoid, near Oxford. Yesterday
I saw his studio — 75 feet long by 40 feet wide, and SO feet
high ! ! He is doing some large pictures for the Free Library
at Boston. A man about forty years, short and strong,
with a head. He made a sketch of my fist above his auto-
graph for you, and I send a sketch recollection of him, and
have glorified him ! Will look out Millais and others.

Give my love to all at Thornhill and kiss yourself for
me. 1 — Your father's daughter's brother's father-in-law,

John Pettis.

Gentle of heart and generous of hand, he kept

open house at "The Lothians" for a wide circle

of friends* His genial nature attracted men of

varying pursuits and temperament, and served to

link them to him in a chain of common friendship.

He was always ready to welcome a new-comer.

Mr. Briton Riviere, R. A., writes of his first meeting

with Pettie :

When I left Oxford in 1867 and came to live near
London, I brought an introduction to Pettie from my

1 Try a looking-glass !

CHARACTER AND PURSUITS 207

brother-in-law, C. M. DobelL I called on Pettie in
Gloucester Road, and found him at work from a model on
his picture of a struggle between a Highlander and an
exciseman over a keg of whisky. I was at once admitted
like an old friend, and he went on with his work, talking
about it with a freedom highly delightful to me ; but he did
not forget to ask me about mine, and before I left, with that
fine spirit of generosity so strong in him, lent me a large
piece of tapestry and a fine old cup rapier, with a suggestion
that they might be useful in a picture I was going to paint.
From that day forward he was quite untiring in his advice
and assistance, and probably I learnt more from him and
was more influenced by his views of art at that time than by
those of any one, not excepting Millais, who, though very
kind, was not so constantly to be relied upon to take trouble
as your uncle.

Mr. J. Bowie, A.R.S.A., tells me that he began
his first visit to London with a pilgrimage to
Pettie's studio. " Though armed with an introduc-
tion from old Mr. Frier, who had taught him draw-
ing at George Watson's College, the young student
felt some diffidence in approaching a Royal
Academician, then at the height of his fame.
Once inside the studio, however, his fears were
soon scattered, and he too went away carrying off
a valuable piece of costume as a loan. Pettie's
last words as he went out were, "Look here,
Bowie, you tell the Edinburgh fellows not to
worry about introductions. Tell 'em from me just

208 JOHN PETTIE

to knock at the door and say they've come frae
Scotland." Many are the successful artists of the
present generation who bear eloquent testimony to
the sympathy and encouragement with which
Pettie cheered them on in the struggling days of
their youth. "He had the knack," said one of
them to me recently, "of making you feel that
you had known him all your life, and in a minute
you were quite comfortably at home in the great
studio that was bigger than the house where you
were born/' He not only gave advice and guidance,
but he kindled the veriest tiro with some sparks of
his own fire, and sent him away burning to follow
his advice and do " something big."

He was ever ready to give keen sympathy
and help to any one who was struggling over a
picture. His bright and eager assistance often
came like sunshine to scatter the cloud of
despondency that hangs over a man who has spent
days and weeks with his own slow progress
staring him in the face. Younger artists had
always a special claim on his assistance : he would
go from one end of London to the other to give
advice to the youngest student, and would do it
with a fine air of genial belief in the man and his
work which alone was valuable. His suggestions

CHARACTER AND PURSUITS 909

were not only penetrating but practical, and when
his innate honesty made him condemn forcefully
a bad bit of drawing or colour, he was always
eager to single out some promising passage for
special praise. What was intensely helpful to a
younger man was that he loved to show people
how he worked, and would willingly carry through
a picture from beginning to end with some one at
his elbow who wished to see " how the wheels go-
round.** He would talk over almost every touch
he put on, giving his reasons for this or that treat*
ment of each portion of a face or the general
scheme of colour. There was no secretiveness
about him, and he welcomed free criticism as only
a strong, large-minded man can do.

His own industry was incessant, and his power
of work, due to his vigorous frame and active
mind, was marvellous. The list given in an
Appendix, which cannot claim to be complete,
comprises, with the inclusion of finished sketches,
over five hundred works. That is a noble record
for a man who died at the age of fifty-three,
and whose working years may be reckoned as
thirty-five. At the Royal Academy, between
1860 and 1898, he exhibited one hundred and nine-
teen pictures. In the year before his death, he

27

810 JOHN PETITE

not only painted " The Ultimatum " and " Bonnie
Prince Charlie," together with three portraits on
commission, but also finished eleven portraits
for presentation to friends.

Many still living cherish the memory of his
open-hearted kindness in times of distress, but that
is too personal a matter on which to dwell here.
Honest, kindly, and plain-spoken, he hated any-
thing that savoured of sham and hypocrisy. He was
breezy and unaffected in presence and manner, in
the hey-day of his success preserving the eagerness
and simplicity of his youth. He possessed a never-
failing flow of good spirits, and to be with him
was like basking in cheerful sunshine. He strode
through life buoyantly and blithely ; his vitality
and his cheery voice were inspiriting to all whom
he met by the way. To talk to John Pettie made
you feel that you were talking to a man, a personality
of a rare kind. He gave the instant impression of
intense energy and enthusiasm, held in check by
an all-pervading wayward humour and warmth of
disposition which made it difficult for him to say
or listen to an unkind word of any one. There
was nothing mean or small in his nature. One
remembers the big, powerful hand, "too clumsy
for water-colour,*' but ever ready to give the grip

CHARACTER AND PURSUITS 211

of hearty friendship ; his bluff and vigorous pres-
ence ; his rough eloquence ; the vigour with which
he spoke of art, and denounced what to him seemed
false or foolish; his ready sympathy with all
who needed help ; his kindly smile ; his infectious
humour; the merry twinkle of his eye. Simple
and honest and hearty, he was a good companion
and a loyal friend. Among the sincerest mourners
at his grave were the old companions of his student
days, who could bear witness that through all the
varying seasons there had never come between
them a shadow of distrust.

Here at the close I may put the words of a
well-known painter who lived in close touch with
Pettie through a large part of his life. When
asked recently for any recollection that would lend
"atmosphere" to this memoir, he gave me several
reminiscences, telling tale after tale of Pettie's
cheeriness, loyalty, and unselfishness, and he ended :
"Have you ever seen John Pettie's portrait of
himself in the Aberdeen Gallery ? It's all pure and
luminous, all rich coral and amber and gold. That s
the atmosphere you must suggest in your book.
Pettie was pure and honest through and through.
His nature was all amber and gold."

APPENDIX

L

PORTRAITS OF JOHN PETTIE, R.A.

Self-Portrait. (Head, in crayon and tint.) Signed "J. Pettie,
'56." (7Jx5f.)
Exhibited at the Scottish National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1906.
Present owner : Martin Hardie.

Self-Portrait. Signed "J. Pettie, 1881." (12 x 10.)

In the Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Self-Portrait Signed "J. Pettie, 1882." (12 x 9£.)

Present owner: J. MacWhirter, Esq., R.A.
Portrait (three-quarter length). By A. S. Cope, A.R.A. Signed
" A. S. Cope, 1892." (67 x 47.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1892.

Present owner : Mrs. Pettie.

Portrait. (Head.) By George Paul Chalmers, R.S.A. Signed
« G. P. Chalmers, '62." (23 x 18 J.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1868 : Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1905.
Present owner : W. B. Hardie, Esq.

Portrait. (Head.) By Sir George Reid, R.S. A. Unsigned ;
painted in 1887. (12 x 10.)
Present owner : Mrs. Hannah MacCunn.

Portrait. Bust by George Lawson. (c. 1880.)
Present owner : Mrs. Pettie.

Small etched Portrait. By L. Lowenstam, as remarque on his

etching of Pettie's portrait of G. P. Chalmers.

218

214 JOHN PETITE

II.
CATALOGUE OF PICTURES BY JOHN PETITE.

The measurements are given in inches, height first, and then width.
Ail the pictures are in oil, unless otherwise stated.

1863.
The Death of Twedric, King of Gwent. (Water-colour.)
Present owner : Robert Brown, Esq., LL.D.
Pettie' b first drawing in more than one colour. The colour original,
but the subject copied from a reproduction of some con-
temporary picture.

1864
Johnny Little and his Wonderfu' Cuddy. (Water-colour.)
<9*xllJ.)
Present owner : James Kennedy, Esq.

1856.
Self-Portrait. (Head : crayon and tint) Signed " J. Pettie,
•56." (7£x5f.)
Present owner : Martin Hardie.

1867.
Portrait — Head of Miss Jessie Frier. (Crayon and tint.)
Signed " J. Pettie, 1857." Oval (20 x 15.)
Present owner : Mrs. Andrew Frier.

1868.
Scene from "The Fortunes of Nigel" — In Trapbois' House.
Signed "J. Pettie, '58." (21 x 24.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1858.
Present owner : Finlay Smith, Esq.

Portrait of Mrs. Pettie (the artist's mother).

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1858.
Portrait of Miss Jane Pettie (the artist's sister).

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1858.
The Stroller. (16x12.)

APPENDIX 215

1869.
The Prison Pet. (24 x 20.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1859.
Present owner : Barr Smith, Esq. (Adelaide, S. Australia).

Sketch of the above. (16 x 12.)

Scene from " The Monastery/'
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1859.
Christie's, 1869.

The Young Student. Signed " J. Pettie." (19 x 15.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1859.
Present owner : the Rev. R. J. Walker.

The Fisherman's Family : Evening Prayer. (24 x 1 8.)

As frontispiece to Family Worship, published by Messrs. Blackie
and Sons, 1864. Engraved on steel by J. Stephenson,
4£x5f in.

1860.
The Armourers. (28 x 23.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1860.
Christie's, 1869.

The Armourer's Forge. Signed " J. Pettie." (1 1£ x 1 1 £.)
Possibly a sketch for the above.
Present owner: W. McTaggart, Esq., R.S.A.

The Armourer's StalL Signed "J. Pettie, I860." (16 x 13.)

Present owner : J. Henderson, Esq.
Sketch of a Forge.

Probably a sketch for " The Armourers."
The Minstrel : Convent Hospitality. (40 x 26.)

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1860 ; Glasgow Institute, 1869.
False Dice : Scene in an Ordinary. (40 x 26.)

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1860 ; Liverpool, 1860.

Morning Worship: Beading the Bible; The Convalescent

(24x17.)

J16 JOHN PETTIE

Companion to "Evening Prayer/' 1869. As illustration to
Family Worship, published by Messrs. Blackie and Sons,
1864. Engraved on steel by J. Stephenson, 5£ x 7± in.

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1860.

Present owners : Executors of the late Dr. Blackie.

Noah's Sacrifice. (1 1 x 15.)

Another illustration to Family Worship (see above).
Present owners : Messrs. Blackie and Sons.

Mfilfihliftrtftk Mossing Abraham.
The Brasen Serpent

Illustrations to Famuy Worship (see above
The Water-Gate. (16 x 12.)

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1860.
Huguenots. St. Bartholomew's Day.

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1861.
Huguenots. St. Bartholomew's Eve.

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1861.
The Dead Babbit. (14 x 12.)

A Lover's Stratagem. Signed "J. Pettie, I860."

Christie's, 1899.
"The Twa Corbies/' Signed "I860."

Sepia sketch, made at the Sketching Club. Afterwards painted in
oil See 1884.

Exhibited at the Scottish National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1906.

Present owner : Mrs. Pettie.

1861. 1

" What d'ye lack, madam? What d'ye lack? N
Exhibited at R.A., 1861 ; R.S.A., 1862.
Christie's, 1869.

1 " The Day Dream," exhibited at the R.S. A., 1861, and " The Abbey
Gate** and "A Cavalier," both exhibited at the Crystal Palace, 1861,
were all destroyed by the artist as unsatisfactory.

APPENDIX 817

Distressed Cavaliers turned Highwaymen. Signed "J. Pettie,
1861." (24x36.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1861.
Present owner : A. M. Ogston, Esq.

Viendra-t-il?

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1861.
Soldier cleaning Armour.

Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1861.

Affection looks before the Time.

Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1861.

One of Cromwell's Divines.

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1862.
Two Scriptural Subjects.

Illustrations to Family Worship, published by Messrs. Blackie and
Sons, 1864. Engraved on steel, 6£x5 in. See above, 1859
and 1860.

1862.

The Sub-Prior and Edward Glendenning.

" ' Father/ said the youth, kneeling down to him, ' my sin and
my shame shall be told to thee. I heard of his death, his
bloody, his violent death, and I rejoiced. I heard of his
unexpected restoration, and I sorrowed. ' " — The Monastery.

Exhibited at R.A., 1862 ; Glasgow Institute, 1862 ; R.S.A., 1863.

The Old Lieutenant and his Son. (Ned's Return,) (36 x 25.)
"The sailor threw his arms around his mother." From the story

by Dr. Norman Macleod in Qood Words.
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1862 ; Wolverhampton, 1908.
Present owner : Miss Macleod.

Sketch of head of the old Lieutenant. (8 x 6J. j
Sketch of head of the Son. (3j x 3 J.)
Present owner : C. M. Hardie, Esq., R.S.A.
These were cut by the artist's mother from a first painting of the
subject which he rejected as unsatisfactory.

28

218 JOHN PETITE

Cromwell's Saints. Signed « J. Pettie, '62.° (17x21 .)

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1863; Glasgow Institute, 1868; Scottish

National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1906.
Present owner : John Jordan, Esq.

1863.
The Trio.

" I dare well swere y-couthe ther craft full parfitly." — Chaucer.
Exhibited at R.A., 1868.
Killing and Curing.

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1863 ; Glasgow Institute, 1868 ; Edinburgh
International Exhibition, 1886.

Brittany Minstrels. Signed " J. Pettie." (16 x 1 3.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1863.
In the Glasgow Corporation Art Gallery.

1864
The Tonsure.

Exhibited at R.A., 1864.

George Fox refusing to take the oath at Honlker Hall, a.d.
1663.

Exhibited at R.A., 1864.
Who leads a Good Life is sure to live welL

Exhibited at R.S. A., 1864 ; Glasgow Institute, 1868.
The Time and Place. Signed " J. Pettie." (21 \ x 14.)

Exhibited at British Institution, 1864; Glasgow International
Exhibition, 1888 ; R. A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.

Christie's, 1903 (H. J. Turner Collection).

Present Owner : Henry Mungall, Esq.

Late. Signed " J. Pettie." (22 x 15.)

Exhibited at R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
Christie's, 1903 (H. J. Turner Collection).
Present owner : Henry Mungall, Esq.

Portrait of Miss E. Bossom (afterwards Mrs. Pettie). (6 x 4.)
Present owner : Mrs. Pettie.

APPENDIX 219

The Wounded Despatch-Bearer.

Exhibited at British Institution, 1865.
The Strategists. Signed " J. Pettie, '64." (15 J x 20}.)

In Glasgow Corporation Art Gallery.
The Apt Pupil.

Stndy in a Picture Gallery. Signed "J. Pettie, '64."
(21 x 15.)
Present owner : Mrs. Craig.

Sketch Portrait of 0. B. Johnson, R.I., on the shore at Hast-
ings, painting. Signed "Hastings, 1864. John
Pettie." (9 x 8.)
Present owner : C. £. Johnson, Esq., R.I.

1865.

A Drum -head Court - Martial. Signed "J. Pettie, '65."
(28 x 42.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1865 ; R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
In Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield.

Sketch of the above. (1 8 x 26.)
Christie's, 1882 ; 1887 (C. Wells Collection).
In the Milwaukee Art Gallery.

Out of an Engagement.

Exhibited at British Institution, 1865.
The Rehearsal. Signed "J. Pettie." (23 x 18.)

Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1871, with title " The Ballet
Lesson"; Glasgow International Exhibition, 1901 ; Scottish
National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1908.
Present owner : Adam Wood, Esq.

Replica of the above.

The Bible and the Monk. (The Monk Sturmi in search of a
monastery site.)
Painted from small illustration, in Good Words, 1868, to " The
Monks and the Heathen." See also 1868.

««0 JOHN PETTIE

Portrait (f length) of Mrs. Pettie. Signed "J. Pettie, 1865."
(30x21.)
Present owner : C. E. Johnson, Esq., R.I.

1866.

The Arrest for Witchcraft. Signed "J. Pettie, 1866."
(60 x 36.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1866 ; Paris International Exhibition, 1867.
Christie's, 1868, 1869, 1874, 1876.
In National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
Replica of the above. Signed " J. Pettie, 1866." (37 x 24.)
In Wolverhampton Art Gallery.
Old Mother Hubbard. Signed "J. Pettie." (21 x 16.)
Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1868.

The figure is not a replica, but in attitude and costume bears a
strong resemblance to the witch in the above picture. Possibly
a finished study for it
Present owner : John Jordan, Esq.

At Bay. 1 Signed "J. Pettie, 1866." (31 x 50.)
Exhibited at Liverpool, 1886.
Christie's, 1908 (T. H. Ismay Collection).
Present owner : W. W. Sampson, Esq.

Replica of the above. Signed " J. Pettie, '66." (19 x 30.)
Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1907.
Present owner : John Knox, Esq.

Sketch of the above.
Coaxing. Signed "J. Pettie, A.R.A." (28 x 23£.)

Exhibited at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1908.
Present owner : J. Julius Weinberg, Esq.

The Cardinal. Signed "J. Pettie, 1866."
Christie's, 1892 (Murietta Collection).

1 Pettie's etching " At Bay " is similar in subject to " A Moment of
Danger, M 1878, and is not to be identified with this picture.

APPENDIX 221

1867.

Treason. Signed "J. Pettie, 1867." (33 x 55$.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1867; Paris International Exhibition, 1878;

R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894; Glasgow International

Exhibition, 1901.
Christie's, 1880.
In Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield.

Sketch of the above. Signed " J. Pettie, 1 867." (28$ x 38 J. )
Christie's, 1908 (Stephen G. Holland Collection).
Present owners : Messrs. Wallis and Son.

The Doctor. (Also known as "The Doctor's Visit.") Signed
"J. Pettie, '67." (28x19.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1867.
Present owner : Dr. Ramsay.

Hudibras and Ealpho in the Stocks. Signed " J. Pettie, 1867."
(18 x 24.)

" The Knight in limbo pent,
And by him in another role,
Afflicted Ralpho, cheek by jowl."

Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1868 ; Glasgow International Ex-
hibition, 1901. Christie's, 1869, 1871.
In the Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield.

Replica of the above. Signed « J. Pettie." (1 8 x 24.)
Present owner : John Jordan, Esq.
A Visit to the Necromancer. Signed " J. Pettie." (39 x 25.)
Present owner : W. McTaggart, Esq., R.S.A.
Finished sketch of the above. (Painted for George Paul
Chalmers, R.S.A.) Signed " J. Pettie." (19 x 13.)
Present owner : W. McTaggart, Esq., R.S.A.

Portrait of Miss 8. J. Frier (afterwards Mrs. Andrew Ker).
Signed "J. Pettie." (Circular— \5 in. diam.)
Exhibited at Wolverhampton, 1908.
Present owner : Mrs. Andrew Ker.

The Troubadour in Prison.

888 JOHN PETTIE

1868.
Tussle with a Highland Smuggler. (Also called "The Ganger
and the* Smuggler," and "The Tussle for the Keg.")
Signed "J. Pettie, 1868." (SO x 24.)
Exhibited at R.A, 1868; Philadelphia International Exhibition,
1876 ; RA. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
Sketch of the above. (22 x 1 8.)
In the Aberdeen Gallery : Macdonald Art Collection.
Pax Vobiacum. Signed « J. Pettie, 1868." (21 x 14$.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1868 ; R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
Present owner : H. J. Turner, Esq.

Weary with Present Oares and Memories Sad.
Exhibited at R.A., 1868.
Christie's, 1877.

The Monk Woodcutter. (The Monk Sturmi in search of a
monastery site.) Signed « J. Pettie, 1868 " and " 1 871."
(The canvas has been enlarged.) (21 x 15J.)
Another version of the picture painted iu 1865, from Pettie's small
illustration to "The Monks and the Heathen," by Charles
Kingsley, in Good Word*, 1868. See also 1865.
Christie's, 1868. Exhibited at Wolverhampton, 1908.
Present owner : Sir William JaftYay, Bart

Study of Wood for background of the above. (13 x 21.)
Present owner : Martin Hardie.

The Gambler's Victim. Signed " J. Pettie, 1 868." (28 x 22.)
Exhibited at R. A, 1869 ; Glasgow Institute, 1877.
In the Wolverhampton Art Gallery, with the title " Gleaned Gut. 1 *

The Village Schoolmistress.

Battledore. (" The Gastle Pleasance.") Signed " J. Pettie, '68."
(36 x 48.)
Present owner : Mrs. Robertson.
l The Hour. (" Will he come ? ")

The Dupe.
• Girl in a Wood. (Sketch.)

i

APPENDIX 228

(Sketch.)

Portrait of Alison Pettie (afterwards Mrs. Hamish MacCunn), as
a baby. (11x11.)
Present owner : Mrs. Pettie.

1869.
The Disgrace of Cardinal Wolsey. Signed "J. Pettie, I869."

(39 x 61.)

v ' " What's this ?— < To the Pope ! '

The letter, as I live, with all the business
1 writ to 's Holiness. Nay then, farewell !
1 have touch' d the highest point of all my greatness ;
And from the full meridian of my glory,
1 haste now to my setting : I shall Ml
Like a bright exhalation in the evening.
And no man see me more. . . .

Nor. So fare you well, my little good Lord Cardinal."

King Henry VIII. , Act 111., Sc. ii.

Exhibited at R.A., 1869 ; R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
Present owner : Thos. Firth, Esq.

First sketch of the above. (4 x 6£.)
Present owner : Miss Muriel Hardie.
Borneo's Visit to the Apothecary.

Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1876.
Christie's, 1874.

Touchstone and Audrey.

"And how, Audrey? Am I the man yet? Doth my simple
feature content you?" — As You Like It, Act in., Sc. iiL

Exhibited at R. A., 1870 ; R.S.A., 1871 ; Vienna International Ex-
hibition, 1873 ; Philadelphia International Exhibition, 1876.

Present owners : Messrs. Wallis and Son.

1870.
The Sally. Signed « J. Pettie." (32 x 50.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1870 ; R.S.A., 1872 ; R.A. Winter Exhibition,

1894.
In Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield.

£S4 JOHN PETITE

Finished sketch of the above. Signed "J. Pettie."
(22 x 34.)
Present owner : F. A. Kelley, Esq.

"TiflBlytlLellayDay."

Exhibited at R.A., 1870.
The Royalist. Signed " J. Pettie." (28 x 20.)

Exhibited at R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.

In Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield.

The Puritan. Signed " J. Pettie." (28 x 20.)
Exhibited at R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
In Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield.

The Love Song. Signed " J. Pettie." (43 x 26.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1871 ; R.S.A., 1872.
Christie's, 1907, as "The Troubadour:'
Present owner : Adam Wood, Esq.

Scene in the Temple Gardens. (Origin of the Wars of the
Roses.) Henry VL 9 Pt I., Act «., Sc. iv.
Exhibited at R.A., 1871 ; Glasgow Institute, 1872.
Sketch of the above.
Either the picture or the sketch measures 28 x 40 ; was sold at
Christie's in 1875 and 1885 ; and was exhibited at the Guild-
hall, 1897.

The Pedlar. Signed " J. Pettie." (31 x 44.)

Exhibited at R A., 1871.

Present owner : Leonard Gow, Esq., LL.D.

Sir Peter Teazle.

Lady Teazle. Signed « J. Pettie." (18 x 12.)
Present owners : Messrs. Wallis and Son.

Rejected Addresses. Signed " J. Pettie, 70." (27 x 38.)
" For this sweet little maid he was rather too old."
Exhibited at Glasgow International Exhibition, 1888.
Christie's, 1884, 1895, 1899.
Present owner : The Rt. Hon. Baron Faber.

APPENDIX 226

1871.
Portrait (three-quarter length) of J. MacWhirter, E. A. Signed
"J. Pettie." (28£xl8$.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1871.
Present owner : J. MacWhirter, Esq., R.A.

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Arthur Tooth, Esq. Signed
"J. Pettie, 71" (35x28.)
Present owners : Messrs. Tooth and Sons.
Portrait of George Borwiek Robertson, Esq., F.C.S.

Exhibited at R.A., 1872.
Silvins and Phebe. Signed " J. Pettie." (30 x 42.)

" Sweet Phebe, do not scorn me ; do not, Phebe ;
Say that you love me not, but say not so
In bitterness." — A* You Like It, Act in., Sc. v.
Exhibited at R. A., 1872 ; R.S.A, 1874.
In the Aberdeen Gallery (Macdonald Art Collection).

The Haunted Wood.

Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1872.

The Sybil.

1872.

Terms to the Besieged. Signed " J. Pettie." (42 x 57.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1872; Glasgow Institute, 1875; Paris Inter-
national Exhibition, 1878; Manchester Jubilee Exhibition,
1887 ; R. A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
Water-colour sketch of the above.
Christie's, 1893 (Artist's sale).
The Gipsy's Oak.

Exhibited at R.A., 1872.
" To the Fields I carried her Milking-PaUs." Signed « J. Pettie."
(30 x 44.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1873 ; Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1907.
Christie's, 1881 (A. B. Stewart Collection) ; 1889 (W. Christie).
Present owner : R. H. Brechin! JSsq.
Sketch of the above. (20 x 30.)

29

826 JOHN PETTIE

Coastguard on the Lookout. Signed " J. Pettie." (26 x 1 8.)

Present owner : A. F. Stewart, Eeq.
Sanctuary. (37& x 52£.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1873; Philadelphia International Exhibition,

1876.
Christie's, 1877 ; 1895 (G. Fox Collection).
Finished sketch of the above. (10x15.)
In Aberdeen Gallery (Macdonald Art Collection).
Portrait of Miss Agnes MacWhirter. Signed "J. Pettie."
(28x17.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 187a
Present owner : J. MacWhirter, Esq., R. A.

1873.
The Flag of Trace. Signed " J. Pettie." (53 x 42.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1873; Paris International Exhibition, 1878;

R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
Engraved by A. Turrell, 1893.
In Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield.

Sketch of the Commander in " The Flag of Truce."
Midnight Watch. (45 x 30.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1873.
The Toast. (Charles Surface in The School for Scandal)
Signed " J. Pettie." (19 x 14.)
Exhibited at Whitechapel Loan Exhibition, 1901; Wolverhampton,

1908.
Present owner : Charles Winn, Esq.
Sentinel on Duty.

The Jacobite. (Portrait of Alexander Strahan, Esq.) Signed
"J. P." (14x11.)
Present owner : James Kennedy, Eeq.

June.

Retouched by the artist in 1876 for the owner, Mr. Muirhead.
Julia Mannering.

Retouched by the artist in 1876 for the owner, Mr. Muirhead.

APPENDIX 827

" Hark ! " Signed « J. Pettie." (26 x 1 8.)
Christie's, 1880.
Present owner : G. K. MacDougall, Esq.

The Cardinal. Signed « J. Pettie." (30 x 22.)
Christie's, 1908.
Present owner : Win. Hunter, Esq.

Intercepted Correspondence.

1874.
Friar Lawrence and Juliet. Signed "J. Pettie." (43 x 30.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1874.
Christie's, 1883.
Present owner : Mrs. Mayou.

" Ho ! Ho ! Cld Noll ! " Signed " J. Pettie." (32 x 44.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1874 ; Manchester Jubilee Exhibition, 1887 ;

R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894; Scottish National Exhibition

(Edinburgh), 1908.
Christie's, 1879 ; 1881 (A. B. Stewart Collection).
Etched by Macbeth Raebura.
Present owner : W. J. Chrystal, Esq.

Sketch of the above. Signed " J. Pettie." (19 x 26*.)
Present owner : J. MacWhirter, Esq., R.A.
A State Secret. Signed "J. Pettie, 1874." (48 x 63.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1874 ; R.S. A., 1875.
Christie's, 1882.
At the Royal Holloway College, Egham.

Sketch of the above. (30 x 20.)
In this, the horrified monk on the right was painted out by Pettie,

- but still shows through the paint.
Present owner : W. McTaggart, Esq., R.S. A.

Jacobites, 1745. Signed « J. Pettie, 1874." (35 x 50.)

Exhibited at R. A., 1875 ; R.A. Winter Exhibitions, 1894, 1901.
Diploma Picture : in the Diploma Gallery, Burlington House.

Sketch of the above. Signed « J. Pettie." ( 1 7 J x 22 J.)
Present owner : Hon. Sir George Drummond, Montreal.

228 JOHN PETTIE

Spring. Signed « J. Pettie." (22£ x 1 5£.)
Christie's, 1903 (A. G. Grimond Collection).
Present owner : Mies Gertrude Agnew.

Lady Teade: A Cup of Tea. Signed "J. Pettie." (24 x 18.)

Present owner : Charles Winn, Esq.
Sketch of the above.
Sketch of Cavalier. (42 x 37.)

Christie's, 1881.
Spring Flowers.

Prince Charming.

Christie's, 1886 (H. E. Green Collection).
Our Mary.

Replica of " Our Mary/' smaller and slightly different

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Mrs. G. E. Johnson, in Fancy
Costume. Signed " J. Pettie, 1874." (34 x 24.)
Present owner : C. E. Johnson, Esq., R.I.
Portrait of Bobert Frier, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie, 1874."
(Hjx9.)
Present owner : Mrs. W. Frier.

1875.

Scene in Hal o' the Wynd's Smithy. Signed "J. Pettie, 1875."
(42 x 58.)
" ' Hark you/ said Henry, ' you seem a good fellow, and I'll tell
you the truth. Your master has wronged me, and I give him
this harness freely for the chance of fighting him myself,' "
etc.— The Fair Maid of Perth.
Exhibited at R. A., 1875.
In the Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Replica of the above.

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Edward Sherrard Kennedy,
Esq., in Costume of the Seventeenth Century. Signed
" J. Pettie, 1875." (44J x 32.)

APPENDIX 229

Exhibited at R.A., 1875; Paris International Exhibition, 1878;

R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894, with the title "Burgomaster

in the Time of Cromwell."
Christie's, 1894.
Present owner : Mrs. Gennadius.

Portrait of G. H. Boughton, E.A., in Costume of the Sixteenth
Century. Signed " J. Pettie." (29 x 23.)
Exhibited at R. A., 1875 ; Philadelphia International Exhibition,

1876 ; R. A. Winter Exhibition, 1901.
Present owner : Mrs. Boughton.

Portrait of a Gentleman in Costume of the Seventeenth
Century.
Exhibited at R.A., 1876 ; R.S. A., 1877.
Present owner : T. Wallis, Esq.

Portrait of Briton Riviere, R.A. (in buff coat and gorget).
Signed " J. Pettie, 75." (18 x 13|.)
Present owner : Briton Riviere, Esq. ,

The Threat. Signed "J. Pettie, 1875." (49 x 33.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1876; Paris International Exhibition, 1878;
Glasgow International Exhibition, 1888; R.A. Winter Ex-
hibition, 1894.
Christie's, 1880 ; 1889 (J. M. Marsden Collection).
Etched by W. Heydemann.
Present owner : Mrs. McCulloch.
Sketch of the above. (Full length figure.)

The Solo. Signed « J. Pettie, 1875." (32£ x 48.)
Exhibited at R.A. Winter Exhibitions, 1894, 1901.
Christie's, 1889 (F. Vigne Collection); 1903 (H. J. Turner

Collection).
Present owner : Kenneth M« Clark, Esq.

The Fight of the Chieftains, Clan Ohattan and Clan Quhele.
The Fair Maid of Perth. (Water-colour sketch, made
at the Sketching Club.) Signed "J. Pettie, 1875."
(9x15.)
Present owner : J. MacWhirter, Esq., R. A.

880 JOHN PETTIE

1876.

The Step. Signed « J. Pettie, 1876." (31 £ x 48.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1876 ; Glasgow International Exhibition, 1888 ;
Guildhall, 1897; R.A. Winter Exhibitions, 1894, 1901;
Scottish National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1906.
Christie's, 1903 (H. J. Turner Collection).
Present owner : Kenneth M. Clark, Esq.

Sketch of the above.
Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1878, with title " The First Step."

Portrait of The Bight Boy. William Bernard UUathorae, D.D.,
O.S.B., Bishop of Birmingham.
Exhibited at R.A., 1876 ; Paris International Exhibition, 1878.
Christie's, 1896.

Goldsmith to His Majesty. (Portrait, half length, of Arthur
Tooth, Esq.., in costume.) Signed "J. Pettie, 1876."
(36 x 28.)
Exhibited at Paris International Exhibition, 1878; R.A. Winter

Exhibition, 1901.
Present owner : Arthur Tooth, Esq., Jun.

Sketch of the above. (12x9.)

Before the Battle. Signed "J. Pettie." (14 x 9*0

Exhibited at R.A., 1880; Birmingham, Royal Society of Artists,
1880; Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1908 ; Wolverhampton, 1908.
Present owner : Briton Riviere, Esq., R.A.

The Knight.
The Leader.
A Bishop.
A Normandy GirL
An Italian GirL
The Goatherd.
The Gannonier.

Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1877.

APPENDIX 281

The Mercenary. Signed " J. Pettie." (19} x 14}.)
Exhibited at U.S.A., 1877. Christie's, 1908.
Present owners : Messrs. Wallis and Son.

Grandmother's Memories. Signed "J. Pettie"; on back, "J.
Pettie, 1876." (20x14.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1877; Glasgow International Exhibition,

1901 ; Scottish National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1908.
Present owners : Trustees of the late Alex. Rose, Esq.

Portrait (full length) of Mrs. Colin Hunter. Signed "J.
Pettie." (20x12.)

Present owner : Mrs. Colin Hunter.
Portrait of Robert L. Bardie. (14 x 10.)

Present owner : R. L. Hardie, Esq.
Portrait of William Black, Esq.

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1877.

1877.

A Sword -and -Dagger Fight. Signed "J. Pettie, 1877."
(37 x 55.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1877 ; R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
Engraved by A. Turrell, 1891.

In the Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield ; with title " To the Death."

Finished sketch of the above. Signed " J. Pettie." (19£ x 30£.)

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1878; Glasgow Institute, 1882; Glasgow

International Exhibitions, 1888, 1901 ; Scottish National

Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1908.

In the Glasgow Corporation Art Gallery.

Finished study for a figure in the above. (15J x 21.)
Christie's, 1900.

A Knight of the Seventeenth Century. (Portrait of William
Black, the novelist.) Signed "J. Pettie, 1877."
(50£xSl£.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1877.

In the Glasgow Corporation Art Gallery.

Sketch of the above.

282 JOHN PETTIE

A Lady of the Seventeenth Century. Signed "J. Pettie,
1877." (52x32.)
Exhibited at EL A., 1877.
Present owner : Sir William Ingram, Bart.

Replica of the above. Signed " J. Pettie." (13x9.)
Exhibited at R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
In the Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield.

Hunted Down.

Exhibited at R.A., 1877.
Replica of the above.

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1879.
One of the above, signed "J. Pettie, 1877/' and measuring
SO x 19, is in the Hospitalfield Collection, Arbroath,
and was shown at the Scottish National Exhibition
(Edinburgh), 1908.

Portrait of Oowlisham, Esq.

Imogen. (By J. Pettie and J. MacWhirter, R.A.) Signed "J.
Pettie. MacW." (48 x 34£.)
Christie's, 1892 (H. Wallis Collection) ; 1899.
Present owners : Messrs. Doig, Wilson, and Wheatley.

Portrait of Mrs. Bossom (Mrs. Pettie's mother). Signed "J.
Pettie." (19x15$.)
Present owner : Mrs. Pettie.

Portrait of 8. Taylor Whitehead, Esq., in Costume of Sixteenth
Century. Signed " J. Pettie." (S3£ x 23.)
Retouched by the artist in 1884.
Exhibited at R.A., 1878; Manchester Jubilee Exhibition, 1887;

R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
Present owner : S. Taylor Whitehead, Esq.

Sketch of the above. (1 1 & x 7£.)
Present owner : Hon. Sir George Drummond (Montreal).
Rob Roy. (29 x 21.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1878 ; Glasgow Institute, 1879 ; R.S.A., 1880.
Christie's, 1881 (A. B. Stewart Collection).
Etched by L. Richeton.

APPENDIX 838

Disbanded. Signed " J. Pettie.' ' {36 x 26.)

Exhibited at R.S. A., 1878 ; R. A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
In the Fine Art Institution, Dundee.

Portrait of James Mackintosh Gow, Esq. Signed "John Pettie."
(18 x 12.)
Present owner : Mrs. Boden.

1878.

The Hour. Signed " J. Pettie." (47 x 35.)

Exhibited at R. A., 1878 ; Scottish National Exhibition (Edinburgh),

1908.
Christie's, 1880 ; 1881 (F. W. Hooper Collection).
Present owner : Thomas McArly, Esq.

Study for the above. (21 x 15.)
Present owner : C. M. Hardie, Esq., R.S. A.
The picture represents a lady of Spanish type, domino in hand,
descending a stair ; in the sketch she is going upstairs.

The Laird. Signed « J. Pettie." (22 x 36.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1878; R.S.A., 1879; Manchester Jubilee

Exhibition, 1887 ; R. A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
Present owner : Mrs. Orchar.

Replica of t!he above. Signed " J. Pettie." (1 5 x 24f .)
Present owners : Messrs. Thos. Agnew and Sons.

Sketch of the above. Signed « J. Pettie." (1 2 x 16.)
Present owner : Mrs. Robertson.

Portrait of Colin Hunter, A.R.A., in Costume of the Sixteenth
Oontury. Signed "J. Pettie, 1878." (SO x 24.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1878 ; R.S.A., 1879.
Present owner : Mrs. Colin Hunter.

A Member of the Long Parliament. (SO x 27.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1878 ; R.S. A., 1880.
Etched by L. Richeton.
Present owner : J. Worrall, Esq.

30

284 JOHN PETTIE

Portrait (bead size) of John Corbet Fletcher, M.D., at. 35.
Signed " J. Pettie." (Also signed on back of canvas,
with date 1878.) (22 x 14.)
Present owner : J. Corbet Fletcher, Esq., M.D.
Portrait (half length) of Mrs. Pettie. Signed " J. Pettie, 1 878."
(SO x 25.)
Present owner : Mrs. Hardie.
Portrait of J. Seymour Lucas, E.A. Signed "J. Pettie, 1878."
(19x15.)
Present owner : J. Seymour Lucas, Esq., R.A.
The General

Christie's, 1880.
Portrait of A. Maclure, Esq.
Girl with Orange. (10 x 8.)

A Moment of Danger. (Also called " Suspense.") (46 x 35.)
The figure of the Highlander only in this picture was etched by
the artist, and issued in publication of The Etching dub,
1879, with the title " At Bay." The picture is quite different
from the " At Bay " of 1866.
Present owner : T. H. Ryland, Esq.

The Highland Outpost. Signed " J. Pettie." (29 x 22.)

Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1883 ; R.A. Winter Exhibition,

1894.
Etched by the artist, and issued in publication of The Etching

Club, 1879.
Present owner : Mrs. Orchar.

Highlanders fighting in a Narrow Lane. Signed "J. Pettie,
1878." (Wash drawing, done at the Sketching Club.)
(10 x 14.)

Exhibited at the Scottish National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1908.

Present owner : Martin Hardie.

Portrait of A. P. Watt, Esq., as a Scholar of the Time of Titian.

Signed " J. Pettie." (29 x 24.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1879 ; R.S.A., 1880 ; Edinburgh International

Exhibition, 1886 ; New Gallery, 1906.
Present owner : A. P. Watt, Esq.

APPENDIX 235

Portrait (three-quarter length) of G. Gurney, Esq., in Costume of
the Seventeenth Century. (42£ x 29.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1879 ; Winter Exhibition, 1894.
Present owner : Mrs. Lefroy.

Portrait of Alexander Strahan, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie, 1878."
(27 x 22.)
Exhibited at R. A., 1879 ; Wolverhampton, 1908.
Present owner : A. Strahan, Esq.

1879.

Edward VL signing his first Death- Warrant. (Also called
"TheDeath-Warrant.") Signed "J. Pettie." (53x89.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1879.
In the Hamburg Museum.

Sketch of the above. (11x17.)
Present owner : C. E. Johnson, Esq., R.I.

Sketch of figure of the boy King. Signed "J. Pettie."
(14xll£.)
Present owner : Mrs. Edwards.

Portrait of William Robertson, Esq., Provost of Dundee.
Signed " J. Pettie." (35 x 27£.)
Present owner : Mrs. Robertson.

One of Marlborough's Generals. (Head.)

Looking to Windward.

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Mrs. Edward Pox White.
(40 x 27.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1880.
Present owner : W. Permain, Esq,

The Herbalist. (Friar Lawrence. Romeo and Juliet, Act n.,
Sc. iii.) Signed « J. Pettie." (29 x 2 1 .)
Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1880.
Present owner : R. W. Ramsay, Esq.

286 JOHN PETTIE

Portrait (half length) of Charles Scott Fhunmer, Esq,, In
Costume of the Sixteenth Century. Signed "J. Pettie."
(38 x 28.)
Exhibited at R.S. A., 1881.
The canvas was cut down, and the figure repainted in ordinary

costume by the artist in 1888.
Present owner : C. H. Scott Plummer, Esq.

Portrait (full length) of Master Ralph Pettie. (40 x 26£.)
Present owner : Mrs. Pettie.

1880.

His Grace. (28 x 18.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1880.
Etched by C. P. Slocombe, 1880.
Christie's, 1904 (J. W. Knight Collection).
Present owner : Sir Mitchell Mitchell-Thompson, Bart.

Her Grace. (28 x 18.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1881.
Etched by C. P. Slocombe, 1880.
Christie's, 1904 (J. W. Knight Collection).
Present owner : Sir Mitchell Mitchell-Thompson, Bart

Portrait of Mrs. Dominick Gregg and Children. '
Exhibited at R.A., 1880.

A Lordly Gallant : A Brimmer to the King. Temp. Charles II.
Signed " J. Pettie." («6 x 20.)
Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1880 ; Scottish National Exhibition

(Edinburgh), 1908, with title " A Cavalier Drinking."
Present owner : John Jordan, Esq.

Sketch of the above (in oil, black and white). (42 x 36.)
Present owner : David Ferrier, Esq., M.D.

A Ladye of High Degree. Temp. Charles II. (Also called
"A Lady Gay.") (42x37.)
Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1880.
Christie's, 1881 (A. B. Stewart Collection).

APPENDIX 287

Sketch of the above (in oil, black and white). Signed " J.
Pettie." (41 x 36.)
Present owner : Mrs. Pettie.
An Ecclesiastic.

Portrait of Mrs. Pettie. (15 x 10 J.)
Present owner : Mrs. Whitehorn.

Portrait of Moncrieff, Esq.

Portrait of Sheriff Strachan. Signed " J. Pettie " ; at top to
right, "|R. U. Strachan, Advocate." (26 x 22.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1881; Wolverhampton, 1908.
Present owner : Alexander Strachan, Esq.

The Duke in " The Merchant of Venice."
A Knight in Armour (half length). (Portrait of William
Wallace.) Signed "J. Pettie, 18m" (26£ x 20 J.)

Exhibited at the New Gallery, 1908.

Present owner : W. Wallace, Esq.

Portrait of John Ballantyne, E.S. A (half length), in uniform
of Captain, Edinburgh Artillery Volunteers. Signed
"J. Pettie." (45x29.)
Painted with the R.A. students, while Visitor to the Academy

Schools.
Exhibited at R.A., 1881 ; Birmingham Society of Artists, 1881 ;

R.S.A., 1882 ; New Gallery, 1908.
Present owner : Miss Ballantyne.

A Courtier of the Time of Elizabeth.

1881.

Before his Peers. (A portrait of Sir Robert Burnett, Bart.)
Signed " J. Pettie. M (46 x 30.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1881 ; New Gallery, 1008.
Christie's, 1885.
Present owner : T. J. Hirst, Esq.

Sketch of the above in black and white. (1 1 x 9>)
Present owner : Francis Harper, Esq.

SS8 JOHN PETITE

Trout-Fishing in the Highlands. Signed" J. Pettier (34x57.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1881 ; Glasgow Institute, 1882.
Present owner : W. S. Steel, Esq.

Sketch of the above. Signed " J. Pettie." (1 8 x 27.)

Present owner : Mrs. Robertson,
Sketch of figure in the above. (Painted from C. M. Hardie,
R.S.A.) (13x7£.)
Present owner : C. M. Hardie, Esq., R.S.A
Portrait (three-quarter length) of James Sfeel Orchar, Esq.
Signed "J. Pettie, 1881."
Present owner : Mrs. Orchar.
Portrait (head size) of Berta and Martin Hardie. Signed "J.
Pettie, 1881." (18x19.)
Present owner : Mrs. Hardie.
A White Flag. Signed « J. Pettie." (20 x 14.)

Present owner : R. W. Wallace, Esq.
A Trout-Fisher.
The Way to the Loch.
A Pinch.

Exhibited at Birmingham : Royal Society of Artists, 1881.
The Patrol.

Christie's, 1891 (E. F. White Collection).

The Boar Hunt.

Companion to the above.

Christie's, 1891 (E. F. White Collection).

Portrait of Sir Bryan Robinson.

Portrait of William Harris, Esq., J.P. Signed "J. Pettie."
(42 x 32.)

In the Albert Institute, Dundee.
A Prince of the Ohnrch. Signed " J. Pettie." (SO x 20.)

Exhibited at Glasgow International Exhibition, 1901.

Christie's, 1881 (A. B. Stewart Collection).

Present owner : H. McGrady, Esq.

APPENDIX 889

Portrait (head size) of William E. Lockhart, B.S.A. Signed
"J. Pettie." (23£xl8.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1882.
Present owner : Mrs. Lockhart

Portrait of David Murray, E. A. Signed « J. Pettie." (l6xl3£.)
Present owner : David Murray, Esq., R.A.

The Toreador. (Portrait of David Murray, R. A., in fancy dress.)
(12x13.)
Cut from a lar£e canvas, left incomplete, containing a seated figure

of a toreador.
Present owner : David Murray, Esq., R. A.

Self-Portrait. Signed « J. Pettie, 1881/' (12x10.)
In the Aberdeen Art Gallery (Macdonald Collection).

" Who Goes ? " (30£ x 22.)

Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1881.
Present owners : Messrs. Wallis and Son.

Portrait of James Cox, Esq.
See ako 1886.

Study of an Interior. (Drawing-room and dining-room of West
House, Campden Hill, the residence of G. H. Boughton,
R.A.) Signed "J. Pettie, 1881." (24 x 16.)
Present owner : David Murray, Esq., R. A.

A Lady and Gentleman in Costume of Time of Elizabeth and
Spanish Dress.

1882.

Eugene Aram and the Scholar. (36 x 51 .)

"He talked with him of Cain." — Hood's Dream of Eugene Aram.
Exhibited at R.A., 1882; R.S.A., 1883.
Touched and altered by the artist in 1883.
Christie's, 1890 (C. Neck Collection).
Present owner : F. A. Kelley, Esq., J. P.

Sketch of the above.

240 JOHN PETTIE

The Palmer : a Tale of the Holy Land.

Exhibited at R.A., 1882 ; Birmingham Society of Artists, 1885.
Present owner : Sir John Aird, Bart

Replica of the above. Signed " J. Pettie."

Present owner : John Aird, Eeq.
Sketch head of the Palmer. (14x11.)
Sketch head of the boy in " The Palmer." (14x11.)

Present owner : Ralph Pettie, Esq.

The Duke of Monmouth begging his Life from James EL
Signed " J. Pettie." (36 x 5 1 .)

" To see him and not to spare him was an outrage on humanity
and decency. This outrage the King was resolved to commit.
The arms of the prisoner were bound behind him with a
silken cord ; and thus secured, he was ushered into the
presence of the implacable kinsman whom he had wronged.
Then Monmouth threw himself on the ground and crawled to
the King's feet," etc. — Lord Macaulay.

Exhibited at R.A., 1882; R.S.A., 1884; Paris International
Exhibition, 1889; Guildhall, 1890; Chicago Exhibition,
1898 ; Glasgow International Exhibition, 1901.

In the Manchester City Art Gallery.

Sketch of the above. Signed " J. Pettie." (23 x 30.)

Exhibited at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1906 ; Franco-British

Exhibition, 1908.
Present owner : Mrs. Lees.

The Sisters. Signed "J. Pettie."

Exhibited at the Birmingham Society of Artists, 1882 ; Manchester

Jubilee Exhibition, 1887.
Christie's, 1892 (D. Price Collection).
Present owner : Wolf Harris, Esq.

Sketch of the above.

Portrait of the Misses (Jessie and Edith) Winn. Signed "J.
Pettie." (50 x 34.)
Exhibited at Wolverhampton, 1908.
Present owner : C. Winn, Esq.

APPENDIX 241

Portrait of J. MacWhirter, R.A. Signed "J. Pettie, 1882."
(12 x 10.)

In the Aberdeen Gallery (Macdonald Art Collection).
Self-Portrait. Signed W J. Pettie, 1882." (12 x 9£.)

Exhibited at R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894 ; New Gallery, 1906.

Present owner : J. MacWhirter, Esq., R, A.

Portrait of T. H. M<Lean.
Portrait of Miss M<Lean.
Portrait of EL A. Harper, Esq.

Portrait of the Eev. Robert 8. Drummond. Signed " J. Pettie,
•88." (I6xl2£.)
Present owner : The Rev. R. S. Drummond.
Portrait (three-quarter length) of Mrs. Wallace. Signed "J.
Pettie, 1882." (34x28.)
Present owner : W. Wallace, Esq.

1883.

Ransomed. (" The Ransom.")
Exhibited at R.A., 1883.
Christie's, 1887 (J. W. Adamson Collection).

" Dost know this Waterily ? " Signed " J. Pettie." (39 x 28.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1883; Manchester Jubilee Exhibition, 1887.

Christie's, 1890 (C. Neck Collection).

Etched by G. Wooliscroft Rhead.
Replica of the above. Signed « J. Pettie." (20 x 1 4.)

Exhibited at the Scottish National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1908.

Present owner : P. S. Brown, Esq.
Sketch of the above. Signed « J. Pettie." (15 x 9.)

Exhibited at the Scottish National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1906.

Present owner : Arch. Smith, Esq.

The Jester's Merry Thought. Signed « J. Pettie." (60 x 46.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1883 ; Manchester Jubilee Exhibition, 1887 ;

R. A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
Christie's, 1895 (J. M. Keiller Collection).
Present owner : Mrs. McColloch.

31

242 JOHN PETITE

Sketch of the above. Signed « J. Pettie." (31 x 24.)
Christie's, 1895 (R. Dawber Collection).
Present owner : Fairfax Rhodes, Esq.

Sweet Seventeen. (A portrait of Miss Lizzie Bossom, now Mrs.
Child, niece of Mrs. Pettie.) Signed "J. Pettie."
. (31x22.)
Retouched by the artist in 1884.
Exhibited at the Institute of Painters in Oils, 1883 ; R. A. Winter

Exhibition, 1906.
Present owner : Sir W. Cuthbert Quilter.
The Young Laird. Signed «J. Pettie." (I7£x23.)

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1884; Edinburgh International Exhibition,
1886; R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1894, with the title
"Rabbiting.*
Present owner : Mrs. Orchar.

A Mist as good as a Mile.

An Arab Sentinel. (30 x 23.)

Christie's, 1890 (C. Neck Collection).

Abdurrahman Hntfrin (Head of an Arab.)

A Reductio ad Absurdum. (19 x 27.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1884.
Christie's, 1890 (C. Neck Collection).

Young Izaak Walton, 1609. Signed " J. Pettie." (32 x 44.)
Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1884 ; Whitechapel Art Gallery,

1901.
Christie's, 1899 (C. P. Knight Collection).
Present owner : David Dickie, Esq.

Portrait of a Queen's Scholar, Westminster (James Watt, Bsq.).
Signed « J. Pettie." (24 x 15.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1883; R.S.A., 1884; Birmingham Society of

Artists, 1884.
Present owner : A. P. Watt, Esq.

Portrait (head) of Mrs. Andrew Ker. Signed "J. Pettie, 1883."
(15 x 13.)
Exhibited at Wolverhampton, 1908.
Present owner : Mrs. Andrew Ker.

APPENDIX 248

Portrait (head) of Andrew Ker, Esq. Signed " J. Pettie, 1883."
(15 x 13.)
Exhibited at Wolverhampton, 1906.
Present owner : Andrew J. Ker, Esq.

Portrait of the Rev. Dr. William Boyd.
Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1884.

Portrait (head size) of James Craig, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie."
(16x13.)
Present owner : J. Craig, Esq.

Portrait (head size) of William Waddel, Esq. Signed "J.
Pettie." (16x13.)
Present owner : W. Waddel, Esq.

Portrait (head size) of Joseph E. Boehm, E.A Signed "J.
Pettie, 1883." (12x10.)
In the Aberdeen Art Gallery (Macdonald Art Collection).

Portrait (head size) of W. Calder Marshall, B.A. Signed "J.
Pettie, 1883." (12x10.)
In the Aberdeen Art Gallery (Macdonald Art Collection).

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Charles Winn, Esq. (51 x 32.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1884; R.S.A., 1885.
Portrait of F. W. Lawson, Esq.

' 1884

Site of an Early Christian Altar. (The Orientation of the
Church.) Signed " J. Pettie." (53 x 85.)

" The method adopted in fixing the orientation of churches has
been preserved in some of the Scotch lodges. . . . The site
of the altar was decided upon and marked by a pole fixed
in the ground. . . . The sun's rays appearing above the
horizon fixed the line of orientation." — Lawrie's History of
Freemasonry.

Exhibited at R.A., 1884; R.S.A., 1885; Birmingham Society of
Artists, 1885 ; Munich Jubilee Exhibition, 1888.

Christie's, 1808 (Artist's Sale) ; 1899 (R. Wharton Collection).

In the Leeds Art Gallery.

244 JOHN PETITE

The Vigil* Signed "J. Pettie." (45 x 66.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1884.

Purchased under the terms of the Chantrey Bequest. In the Tate
Gallery.

Replica of the above. Signed " J. Pettie, 1884." (25 x 34}.)

Exhibited at the Glasgow Institute, 1886.
Present owner : Miss Low.

Sketch of the above. (1 8 x 24.)
Present owner : J. N. Fraser, Esq.
" The Twa Corbies." Signed "J. Pettie." (9} x 17}.)
" Mony's the one for him makes mane,
But none sail ken whaur he is gane.
O'er his white banes, when they are bare,
The wind sail blaw for evermair."
Exhibited at the Institute of Painters in Oil, 1884.
Present owner : Professor J. MacCunn.

Picture in Illustration of Bret Harte's "Sarah Walker."
Signed "J. Pettie." (20} x 13}.)
Engraved on wood by Edmund Evans for the Christmas number of

Longman's Magazine, 1884.
Present owner : C. J. Longman, Esq.

Sketch of the above (painted from Miss Bessie Watt, now
Mrs. D. Dempster) Signed "J. Pettie." (18 x IS.)
Present owner : Mrs. D. Dempster.
Portrait of Lieut-Col. Lewis J. F. Jones.

Exhibited at the Institute of Painters in Oil, 1884.

Portrait (half length) of James Guthrie Orchar, Esq. Signed
"J. Pettie." (42x34.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1885 ; R.A. Winter Exhibition, 1804.
Present owner : Mrs. Orchar.

Portrait (posthumous) of J. Deakin Heaton, Esq., M.D.

Portrait of Charles E. Lees, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie."

(44}x27}.)
Present owner : Mrs. Lees.

APPENDIX 246

Portrait of Peter Graham, R.A. Signed " J. Pettie." (17J x 15.)
Present owner: J. MacWhirter, Esq., R.A.

Portrait of John Garrett Morten, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie."
(25 x 20.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1885.
Present owner : J. G. Morten, Esq.

Sketch of J. G. Morten, Esq., fishing. (9| x 7£.)

Present owner : Mrs. Hamish MacCunn.
Portrait Sketch of Ralph Pettie.

1885.
Challenged. Signed " J. Pettie." (49 x 37.)

" I remember a mass of things, but nothing particular ; a quarrel,
but nothing wherefore. Oh, that men should put an enemy
into their mouths to steal away their brains."
Exhibited at R.A., 1885.
In the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

Replica of the above. Signed " J. Pettie." (47 x 35.)
Exhibited at the Glasgow International Exhibition, 1888 ; R.A.

Winter Exhibition, 1894.
Engraved by F. A. Laguillermie.
Present owner : Fairfax Rhodes, Esq.

Charles Surface selling his Ancestors. (The School Jor Scandal)
Signed " J. Pettie." (32 x 45.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1885.
Present owner : J. Ogston, Esq.

Finished sketch of the above ; completed in 1890. (18 x 24.)

Sir Peter and Lady Teazle. Signed "J. Pettie." (23 x 35.)
Sir Peter. " Zounds, madam, you had no taste when you married
me." Lady T. ''Very true, Sir Peter."— The School for
Scandal.
Exhibited at R.A., 1885 ; Manchester Jubilee Exhibition, 1887.
Present owner : The Rev. T. S. Cooper.
"Here's to the Maiden of bashful Fifteen." (29 x 18.)

246 JOHN PETITE

Portrait of Bret Harte, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie." (44 x 30.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1885 ; Berlin Jubilee Exhibition, 1886.
Present owner : Mme. Van de Velde.

Portrait of James Stewart, Esq. (48 x 34.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1886.

Portrait of James Anderson, Esq.
Exhibited at R.A., 1886.
See also 1887.

Portrait of William Bailey Hawkins, Esq.
Exhibited at R.A., 1886.

Portrait of C. T. Ritchie, Esq., M.P. (afterwards Lord Ritchie).
Signed « J. Pettie."
Exhibited at R.A., 1886.
Present owner : Lord Ritchie.

, Portrait (half length) of W. Ynill, Esq. Signed "J Pettie."
(15x12.)
Present owner : W. Yuill, Esq.

Portrait of Alexander Kay, Esq.
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1886.

Portrait of Thomas Faed, R.A. Signed "J. Pettie, 1885."
(12x10.)
In the Aberdeen Art Gallery (Macdonald Art Collection).

1886.

The Chieftain's Candlesticks. See A Legend of Montrose.
Signed " J. Pettie." (63 x 45.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1886 ; R.S.A., 1888 ; R. A. Winter Exhibition,

1894 ; Scottish National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1906.
Present owners : Trustees of the late Fitzroy C. Fletcher, Esq.

Replica of the above. Signed " J. Pettie." (35 x 24.)
Christie's, 1908.

APPENDIX 247

The Musician. Signed " J. Pettie." (64 x 43.)

" Alas for those that never sing, But die with all their music in
them."— O. W. Holmes.

Exhibited at RA., 1886; Birmingham Royal Society of Artists,
1887 ; Glasgow Internationa^ Exhibition, 1888 ; Paris Inter-
national Exhibition, 1889; Guildhall, 1892; South African
and International Exhibition, Kimberley, 1892 ; Scottish
National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1908.

Christie's, 1898.

In Aberdeen Art Gallery, with title "A Musician's Reverie."

The Squire. (26x17.)

Portrait of Newson Garrett, Esq.
Exhibited at R.A., 1886.

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Alexander Strahan Watt, Esq.
Signed « J. Pettie, 1 886." (24 x 1 8.)
Present owner : A. P. Watt, Esq.

Portrait (head size) of James Guthrie Orchar, Esq. Signed
"J. Pettie." (30x24.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1890.
Present owner : Mrs. Robertson.

Portrait (head size) of James Hardie, Esq. Signed " J. Pettie,
1886." (28 x 24.)
Present owner : Mrs. Hardie.

Portrait (head size) of Mrs. Percival

Portrait of James Cox, Esq. (Two replicas of the portrait
painted in 1881.)

Portrait (head size) of the Rev. J. Monro Gibson, D.D. Signed
"J. Pettie, 1886."
Present owner : The Rev. J. Monro Gibson, D.D.

Portrait (full length) of Master Norman Pettie. Signed "J.
Pettie, '86." (44 x 26.)
Present owner : Mrs. Pettie.

848 JOHN PETITE

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Alison Pettie (now Mr*.
Hannah MacOunn> Signed "J. Pettie, 1886."
(52 x 84.)
Present owner : Mrs. Pettie.

Portrait of Miss M. Trotman. Signed "J. Pettie, '86."
(20x14.)
Present owner : Mrs. Hamiflh MacCunn.

Portrait of Richard Moreland, Esq.
Exhibited at R. A., 1887.

Portrait (half length) of the Dowager Lady Ripley. Signed
"J. Pettie." (29x23.)
Present owner : Mrs. Sunderland.

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Sir Edward Ripley, Bart.
Signed "J. Pettie." (45 x 31.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1887 ; Wolverhampton, 1908.
Present owner : Sir Henry W. A. Ripley, Bart

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Lady Ripley. Signed "J.
Pettie." (45 x 38.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1887 ; Wolverhampton, 1908.
Present owner : Sir Henry W. A. Ripley, Bart

Portrait of Sir Walter Besant. Signed " J. Pettie." (36 x 23.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1887.
Etched by D. A. Wehrschmidt
Present owner : Captain Besant

Portrait of Hamiflh MacCunn, Esq. Signed «J. Pettie, '86."
(27 x 24.)
Exhibited at "R.S.A., 1889; New Gallery, Society of Portrait

Painters, 1907.
Present owner : Mrs. Pettie.

1887.
Two Strings to her Bow. Signed " J. Pettie." (32J x 47.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1887 ; Liverpool, 1887 ; Glasgow International

Exhibition, 1888 ; R A. Winter Exhibition, 1894.
In the Glasgow Corporation Art Gallery.

APPENDIX 249

Water-colour sketch of the above. Signed "J. Pettie."
(12x18.)
Present owner : C. Winn, Esq.
Scene from Scott's " Peveril of the Peak." The appearance of
the Countess of Derby in the Golden Room. Signed
"J. Pettie." (35x48.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1887; R.S.A., 1888; Birmingham Society of
Artiste, 1888 ; Glasgow International Exhibition, 1901 ;
Scottish National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1908.
Present owner : James Murray, Esq., M.P.

Water-colour sketch of the above.
Christie's, 1898 (Artist's sale).

A Storm in * Teacup. (Also known as "The Tiff.") Signed
"J. Pettie." (24£x30.)
Present owner : Colonel Harding.

Finished sketch of the above. Signed " J. Pettie." (30 x 22.)
Present owner : N. Herbert, Esq.

Water-colour sketch of the above. Signed "J. Pettie."
(12x18.)
Present owner : C. Winn, Esq.

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Mrs. B. H. Pringle.
Exhibited at R.A., 1887.

Portrait of James Anderson, Esq. (Replica of the portrait of

1885.)
Portrait (head size) of Otto Fischer Sobell, Esq. Signed "J.

Pettie, 1887," and with the first phrase of the song

" Ich grolle nicht."
Present owner : O. Fischer Sobell, Esq.

Portrait (head size) of Dr. Burton. Signed "J. Pettie, 1887."
(18 x 14.)
Present owner : C. Winn, Esq.
Portrait (three-quarter length) of Sir Charles U. Aitchison,
K.C.8.I.
Replica of the above.

32

260 JOHN PETTIE

Portrait of Gook, Esq., in character of Don Quixote.

Portrait (head size) of Sir George Bald, P.R.8.A. Signed
"J. Pettie, 1887." (15 J x 11 J.)
Present owner : Sir George Reid.
Portrait of Thomas Paed, B.A. Signed "J. Pettie, '87."
(26xl6£.)
Present owner: J. MacWhirter, Esq., R.A.

Portrait of J. Macalister Hall, Esq.

Exhibited at R.A., 1888.
Head of a Jester. Signed « J. Pettie." (22 x 18.)

Present owner : Mrs. Mather.
Portrait of John Stewart, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie, 87."
(I7ixl8i.)

Present owner : Mrs. Stewart
Portrait (head size) of Edmonstotme Duncan, Esq. Signed
"J. Pettie." (24x18.)

Present owner : E. Duncan, Esq.

Portrait of Mrs. McTaggart. Signed " J. Pettie, 87." Oval.
Present owner : W. McTaggart, Esq., R.S. A.

1888.
The Traitor.

Exhibited at R.A., 1888 ; Liverpool, 1888 ; Leeds, 1888.
Finished sketch of the above. Signed " J. Pettie." (25 x 43 J.)
Exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery, 1890.
Christie's, 1893 (Artist's sale).
Present owner : Mrs. Ness.
Full-sized cartoon, in black and white, on canvas. (48 x 73.)
Present owner : Mrs. Hardie.

The Clash of Steel. Signed " J. Pettie." (37 x 56.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1888; Manchester, 1888; Glasgow Institute,

1890 ; Scottish National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1908.
Present owner : John Jordan, Esq.

Finished sketch of the above.

APPENDIX 251

A Song without Words. Signed " J. Pettie." (23£ x l6£.)

Exhibited At Grosvenor Gallery, 1888; R.A. Winter Exhibition,
1894.

Christie's, 1908 (G. Gurney Collection).

In Manchester Art Gallery.
May Day. (Water-colour.)

Sir Charles Wyndham as David Garrick, at the moment of
recognising Ada. " If I had but known." (65j x 45^.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1888.

Present owner : Sir Charles Wyndham.

Replica of the above. Signed " J. Pettie." (24 x 1 8.)
Present owner : Lady Wyndham.

Portrait of Whitehorn, Esq..

Portrait of Benoit Hollander, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie."
(lSjxll.)
Present owner : B. Hollander, Esq.

Portrait of Mrs. Watt. Signed « J. Pettie." (29 x 22 J.)

Present owner : A. P. Watt, Esq.
Portrait (head) (posthumous) of Mrs. Glen. (29 x 23.)
Portrait (head) (posthumous) of T. Glen, Esq. (29 x 23.)
Portrait (head) (posthumous) of Thomas Goats, Esq. (29 x 23.)

Portrait of Cooke, Esq.

Portrait of James MacGunn, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie, 1888."
(25 x 19£.)

Present owner : James MacCunn, Esq.

Portrait (head) of John MacGunn, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie, 1 888."
(33 x 29.)
Present owner : John MacCunn, Esq.

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Mrs. Goats. (58 x 40.)
Exhibited at Grosvenor Gallery, 1889.

Portrait of John Thewlis Johnson, Esq. (50 x 36.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1889.

Portrait of George Coats, Esq. (59 x 37.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1889.

862 JOHN PETTIE

1889.

The Challenge. Signed "J. Pettie, 1889." (39£ x 27.)

Christie's, 1889 (R. P. Pattison Collection).
Portrait (three-quarter length) of the Rev. James Oswald
Dykes, M.A., D.D. Signed " J. Pettie." (54 x 42.)

Exhibited at R.A., 1889.

Present owner : The Rev. J. O. Dykes, M.A., D.D.

Portrait of Sir John Jaffray, Bart., J.P., D.L. Signed "J.
Pettie, 1889." (42x33.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1889 ; Birmingham Royal Society of Artists,

1889.
Present owner : Sir William Jaffray, Bart

Portrait (full length) of Mrs. Reckitt.

Exhibited at R.A., 1889.
Portrait (full length) of His Grace the Duke of Portland.
Signed "J. Pettie, 1889."
Burned in a fire at Welbeck Abbey.
Portrait (head size) of H. Rider Haggard, Esq. Signed "J.
Pettie, '89." (29 x 25.)
Exhibited at Grosvenor Gallery, 1889 ; R.S.A., 1890.
Portrait of Ralph Pettie, lying on a sofa. (Water-colour.)
Signed "J. Pettie, 1889." (12 x 18.)
Present owner : Sir William Jaffray, Bart.
Portrait of T. M<Lean, Esq.

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Mrs. Pettie. Signed "J.
Pettie, 1889." (51x40.)
Present owner : Mrs. MacCunn.

Portrait of Mrs. James MacOonn. Signed "J. Pettie, 1889."
(33 x 25.)
Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1890.
Present owner : J. MacCunn, Esq.

Portrait (head size) of A. Schnlz Ourtius, Esq. Signed "J.
Pettie, 1889." (30x23.)
Present owner : A. Schulz Curtius, Esq.

APPENDIX 253

Portrait of J. Campbell Noble, B.S. A. Signed " J. Pettie, 1 889. '
(32 x 25.)
Exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery, 1890 ; Glasgow Institute, 1891 ;
R.S.A., 1892; Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1907; Scottish
National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1908.
Present owner : J. C. Noble, Esq., R.S.A.

Portrait (head size) of Duncan P. Dempster, Esq., Jan. Signed
"J. Pettie." (15x12.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1890.
Present owner : D. F. Dempster, Esq.

Going to the Pair. Signed " J. Pettie." (22 x 31 J.)
Present owner : N. Herbert, Esq.

This is an earlier version of " The World went very well then,"
painted in the following year. The fair girl here carries her
hat, and instead of a milestone there is a rat-hole.

The Beginning of a Pray. Signed " J. Pettie." (48 x 34.)
Christie's, 1897 (Sir J. Pender Collection).
Present owner : The Rt Hon. Baron Faber.

Study of a Head. St. Cecilia. Signed " J. Pettie." (29 x 22£.)
On the back, in black paint : " Freude schone Gotterfunken," with

the melody from Beethoven's 9th Symphony.
Present owner : Max Lindlar, Esq.

Head of Lady Godiva. Signed "J. Pettie, 1889."
Christie's, 1894.

1890.

"The World went very well then," Signed "J. Pettie."
(30J x 50.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1890 ; Manchester, 1890.
Present owner : James Murray, Esq., M.P.
See also Going to the Pair (1889).

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Sir Baylton Dixon. (£4 x 38.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1890.
Present owner : Lady Dixon.

254 JOHN PETTIE

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Sir Edmund Hay Carrie.
Signed « J. Pettie." (60 x 48.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1890.

At the People's Palace, Mile End Road. On the frame is the
inscription : " Sir Edmund Hay Carrie, Chairman of Trustees
of the People's Palace, 1886-1890. Presented by a few sincere
friends."

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Thomas H. Cox, Esq.

Portrait (head) of Mrs. Stewart Freeman.
Exhibited at R.A., 1891,

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Henry A. Lamb, Esq. (Late
Hon. Sec., Royal Wimbledon Golf Club.) Signed
" J. Pettie, 1 890." (52 x 38.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1891.
At the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club.
Replica of the above.

Portrait (head size) of Walter Buckler Lethbridge, Esq. Signed
"J. Pettie." (28x22.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1891 ; Manchester, 1891 ; New Gallery, 1908.
Present owner : Mrs. Lethbridge.

Portrait (head size) of Graham Pettie. Signed "J. Pettie."
(22x17.)
Present owner : Mrs. Pettie.

Portrait of Mrs. Pettie. (Water-colour.) Signed "J. P., '90."
(4|x8.)
On screen with others. See p. 280.
Present owner : Mrs. Orchar.

Portrait of N. Herbert, Esq. Signed " J. Pettie." (27 x 21.)
Present owner : N. Herbert, Esq.

Head of a Spanish Admiral. Signed " J. Pettie." (24 x 18.)

Exhibited at Berlin International Exhibition, 1891.

Christie's, 1893 (Artist's sale).

Present owner : Colonel Harding.
Sketch of a Girl (head and shoulders, wearing black hat).

Present owner : Mrs. Ness.

APPENDIX 256

Sketch (head) of Miss Agnes N. MacOunn. (Water-colour.)

Signed " J. Pettie, 1890." (10} x 8.)
Portrait of Fergus MacOunn. Signed "J. Pettie, 1890."

(10 x 8}.)
Present owner : Hamish MacCunn, Esq.

Sketch of a Oipsy.

Qn the Dark Continent. (Study of a negro.) (29} x 19.)

Exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery, 1890 ; Liverpool, 1890.

Christies, 1898.

The Violinist.

Exhibited at R.A., 1891 ; Liverpool, 1891.

1891.

Silvia, Signed " J. Pettie." (45 x 34.)

" Is she kind as she is fair ? "

Exhibited at R.A., 1891 ; Glasgow Institute, 1892 ; Paris Inter-
national Exhibition, 1900.
Christie's, 1893 (Artist's sale).
Present owner : Mrs. McCulloch.

Portrait of Mrs. Shaw.
Exhibited at R.A., 1891.

Portrait of James Craig, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie, 1891."
(12 x 10.)
Present owner : J. Craig, Esq.

Portrait of J. Ford Anderson, M.D. Signed "J. Pettie, 1891."
(30 x 27.)

Present owner : J. Ford Anderson, Esq.
Portrait of Mrs. Pettie. Signed " J. Pettie, 1891." (19} x 15}.)

Exhibited at Wolverhampton, 1908.

Present owner : Mrs. Andrew Ker.

Portrait (head) of Miss Bessie Watt (now Mrs. D. Dempster).
Signed " J. Pettie." (15 x IS.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1893.
Present owner : A. P. Watt, Esq.

866 JOHN PETTIE

Portrait (full length) of Master William Pettie Watt. Signed
« J. Pettie." (47 x 27.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1892 ; R.S..A., 1893.
Present owner : A. P. Watt, Esq.

Portrait (head size) of Mrs. Wolf Harris. Signed " J. Pettie."
(27 x 22J.)
Present owner : Wolf Harris, Esq.

Portrait (head size) of Wolf Harris, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie."
(27 x 22 J.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1892.
Present owner : Wolf Harris, Esq.

1892.
The Ultimatum.

Exhibited at R.A., 1892; Manchester, 1892; Glasgow Institute,

1898.
Christie's, 1893 (Artist's sale).

Finished sketch of the above. Signed "J. Pettie." (31 x 24.)
Christie's, 1898 (Artist's sale).
Present owner : Fairfax Rhodes, Esq.

Sketch of Mr. Edmund Bechstein, who stood for the above
picture. (l6xll£.)
Present owner : E. Bechstein, Esq.

Bonnie Prince Charlie. Signed " J. Pettie." (62 x 45.)
Exhibited at R. A., 1892.

Christie's, 1893 (Artist's sale) ; 1899 (R. Wharton Collection).
Present owner : Charles Stewart, Esq.

A copy (35 x 27) of this picture, by Miss E. Bloom, was sold
at Christie's, January 17, 1903.

Portrait of Haxnish MacOunn, Esq. Signed " J. Pettie, 1892 " ;
and on the back, " Portrait of Hamish MacCunn : an
hour's sketch." (18 x 10.)
Present owner : W. B. Wotton, Esq.

APPENDIX 257

Portrait of J. Ooutts Michie, A.B.S.A. Signed "J. Pettie,
1892." (36 x % 28.)
Present owner : J. Coutts Michie, Esq., A.R.S.A.

Portrait (head size) of Sir August Manns. Signed " J. Pettie,
1892."
Exhibited at R.A., 1892.
Present owner : Lady Manns.

Portrait (head size) of George A. Lawson, Esq.

Portrait (head size) of Miss Doig (Mrs. G. A. Lawson). Signed
" J. Pettie, 1892." (22 x 19.)

Portrait (head size) of Miss Dempster. Signed "J. Pettie,
1892"; and on the back, "Sketch of 'Lady Betty,'
by J. Pettie, 1892, souvenir of her visit to the
Lothians." (21 x 17£.)
Present owner : Miss Dempster.

Portrait (head size) of Andrew Black, Esq.

Portrait of Miss Grace Steel.

Portrait of Master 8. Steel.

Portrait (head size) of F. A. Eaton, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie,
1892." (26£x22.)
Present owner : F. A. Eaton, Esq.

Portrait (head size) of Greville Macdonald, M.D. Signed
"J. Pettie." (26£x22.)
Present owner : Greville Macdonald, Esq.
Portrait of George MacCunn, Esq.
Portrait of M'Oorquodale, Esq.

1893.

Portrait (three-quarter length) of William Bunce Greenfield,
Esq.
Exhibited at R. A., 1893.

38

258 JOHN PETTIE

Portrait (head size) of Adam Black, Esq. (Unfinished.)
(26J x 22£.)
Exhibited at R.A., 1893.

Portrait of Edward Howley Palmer, Esq.
Exhibited at R.A., 1893.

Portrait (three-quarter length) of Alderman Thomas Wright,
J.P., ex-Mayor of Leicester.
Exhibited at ft A., 1893.
Portrait (head size) of Max Lindlar, Esq. (Unfinished.)

(25£x2l£.)

Roses in the Lane.

OTHER WORKS TO WHICH NO DEFINITE DATE
CAN BE ASSIGNED.

Portrait of an Old Lady in Lace Cap. Signed "J. Pet tie."
(24 x 1 3.) (Painted about 1 860-5.)
Present owner : Mrs. McCulloch.
Sketch of a Brittany Street. (17£ x 12.) (Painted in 1862 ?)

Present owner : Mrs. Pettie.
The Flageolet. Signed "J. Pettie." (24x15.) (Painted in
1862?)
Exhibited at Wolverhampton, 1908.
Present owner : John Stevenson, Esq.
The Fatal Statue. Signed "J. P." (7 x 6.) (Water-colour: an
early drawing.)
Present owner : T. M. Hardie, Esq.
The Night March. (7 x 6.) (Water-colour : an early drawing.)

Present owner : T. M. Hardie, Esq.
Head of a Brigand. (12 x 8.) (Painted about 1860-5.)

Present owner : James T. Tullis, Esq.
Portrait of George Paul Chalmers, B.S.A. Signed "J. Pettie."
(24 x 20.) (Painted probably about 1865.)
Present owner : Miss Torrie.

APPENDIX 269

Portrait of George Paul Chalmers, B.S.A. Signed "J. P."
(9 x 7.) (Later in date than the above.)
Exhibited at Edinburgh International Exhibition, 1886.
Present owner : Mrs. Gisborne.

A Oromwellian. (A Soldier of the Commonwealth.) Signed
" J. Pettie." (19 x 14.) (Painted about 1860-5.)
Present owner : David Morrice, Esq., Montreal.

Portrait of Alexander Pettie (the artist's father). Signed
"J. Pettie." (10 x 14.) (Painted about 1868.)

Present owner : Mrs. Hardie.
Hungry as a Trooper.

Christie's, 1867.
The Milkmaid. Signed "J. Pettie." (l6£ x 12i.)

Exhibited at the Scottish National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1908.

Present owner : John Jordan, Esq.

A Gondolier. Signed "J. Pettie." (12 x 10.)
Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1877.
Chapman's Sale-room, Edinburgh (Collection of Sir W. Fettes-

Douglas, R.S.A.), Feb. 25, 1865.
Present owner : David Murray, Esq., R.A.

The Terrace at Haddon.

Christie's, 1869.

Probably a sketch for " Battledore" (1868).

Shaving without Soap.

Christie's, 1871.
Ruined.

Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1871. Not identical with "The
Gambler's Victim " (1868) ; but it may be a replica, or another
version of the same subject.

The Pull Scrip.
Christie's, 1873.

The Doctor's Visit. (19 x 28$.)
Christie's, 1875.

260 JOHN PETTIE

A Scotch Lassie.

Exhibited at Glasgow Institute, 1875. Perhaps the same picture
as that entered in chronological list, 1874, as "Our Mary."

Sir Peter and Lady Teasle. (A water-colour sketch made at
the Sketching Club, c. 1875.) (10 x 15.)
Present owner : J. MacWhirter, Esq., R.A.

Portrait of Mrs. Taylor. Signed "J. Pettie." (12 x 10.)
Exhibited at R.S. A., 1876 (lent by Sam Bough, R.S.A.).

The Tennis Player. A Portrait. Signed "J. Pettie."
(21 x 11.) (Painted between 1878 and 1881.)
Present owner : Mrs. Robertson.
The Lovers. (Water-colour; painted between 1878 and 1881.)
Signed " J. Pettie." (1 0^x8.)
Mounted on a four-leaf screen with other water-colours by W.
McTaggart, R.S.A., Hugh Cameron, R.S. A., J. MacWhirter,
R.A., David Murray, R.A., etc.
Present owner : Mrs. Orchar.

Meditation. By J. Pettie and G. P. Chalmers, R.S.A.

Exhibited at R.S. A., 1879.
Monastic Study. By J. Pettie and G. P. Chalmers, R.S.A.

Exhibited at R.S.A., 1879.
Portrait of Matthew Ker, Esq. Signed "J. Pettie." (11 x 9.)
(Painted about 1880.)

Exhibited at Wolverhampton, 1908.

Present owner : Andrew Ker, Esq.

A Good Day for Fishing. Signed " J. Pettie." (11 x 25.)
Christie's, 1900.
Present owner : G. Hastwell, Esq.

A Fayre Ladye. Signed "J; Pettie." (26x20.) (Painted
about 1880.)
Exhibited at R.S.A., 1894; Scottish National Exhibition (Edin-
burgh), 1908.
Christie's, 1893 (Artist's sale).
Present owner : T. L. S. Roberts, Esq.

APPENDIX 261

The First Lesson. (22x31.)
Christie's, 1881.

Waiting for an Audience.

Exhibited at Birmingham Royal Society of Artiste, 1881.

Mary Beaton.

Christie's, 1885.
Portrait of Mrs. Pettie. (Water-colour; painted about 1885.)
Signed "J. Pettie." (8 x 10.)

Present owner : A. P. Watt, Esq.
Don Quixote. (27£ x 20.)

Christie's, 1889, 1809.
The Royalist. (28 x 20.)

In the Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield.
The Puritan. (28 x 20.)

In the Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield.
Haddon HalL By J. Pettie and A. Eraser, R.S.A. (19 x 31.)

Christie's, 1893 (Artist's sale) ; 1907.
Portrait of Samuel Bough, B.8.A. (1822-1878). Signed "J.
Pettie." (15x10.)

Exhibited at the Bough Exhibition, Carlisle, 1896; Glasgow
International Exhibition, 1901.

Etched by L. Lowenstam.

Present owner : Mrs. Mather.

The Keepsake. (28 x 37&.)

Exhibited at the Glasgow International Exhibition, 1901.
Present owner : Mrs. Stewart Clark.

Portrait of a Gentleman, in Spanish Costume. (45 x 33.)

Present owners : Messrs. Agnew and Sons.
Sketch of a Woman leaning back in a Ohair. (9 x 12.)

Present owner : J. Ramsay, Esq.

Before the Pray. (Water-colour.) Signed "J. Pettie."
(24£ x 14.)
Present owner : Mrs. Maclauchlan.

862 JOHN PETTIE

Polonius. (Painted from the artist's father.) Signed " J. Pettie."
(14 x 10.)

Exhibited at the Scottish National Exhibition (Edinburgh), 1906.
Present owner : T. Hall Cooper, Esq.

Head of St. John. (23 x 18.)
Christie's, 1898.

The Reverie. A lady in white dress, seated. (1 1 £ x 7£.)
From the Lucas Fund Pictures, 1881.

The Leader of the Attack. (14J x 9£.)
Christie's, 1903 (H. J. Turner Collection).

CKrl with Basket of Flowers. Signed « J. Pettie." (23 x 16.)
Exhibited at Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1908.
Present owner : J. C. Buist, Esq.

Free Lances. By J. Pettie and J. MacWhirter, R. A. (24 x 37.)
Christie's, 1903.
Present owner : Wolf Harris, Esq.

Sketch (head and shoulders) of a man in Costume of the
Seventeenth Century. (Water-colour.) (10 x 8.)
Present owner : Mrs. Orchar.

Head of Lady in White Cap. (15 x 10.)
Christie's, 1893 (Artist's sale).
Present owner : Mrs. Hardie.

Sketch of Tuke, the Model, in a kilt, seated by a fire.
(20 x IS.)
Present owner : C. M. Hardie, Esq., R.S.A.

Study for a Background. Trees and bushes. (19 x 31.)
From the Artist's studio, 1893.
Present owner : Mrs. Hardie.

Study of Interior of Wood. (30 x 20.)
Present owner : Mrs. Hamish MacCunn.

APPENDIX

263

Study of Furze and Trees. (32 x 22.)
Present owner : Mrs. Hamish MacCunn.

Study of White Roses. (16 x 12.)
Present owner : Miss E. Johnson.

Study of an Orchard. (24 x 16.)

Present owner : John Henderson, Esq.

INDEX

The titles of Pictures are printed in italics

Abbey, Edwin A., 48, 206

Abbey date, The, 216

"Abdication, The," etchings in
illustration of, 57

Abdurrahman Hassin, 242

Aberdeen Art Gallery, 213, 228,
247

Aberdeen, Macdonald Art Col-
lection, 151, 152, 211, 222,
225, 226, 239, 241, 243, 24(5

Aesthetic Club, the, 42

Affection looks before the Time, 217

Agnew and Sons, 233, 2(51

Agnew, Miss G., 228

Aird, John, 240

Aird, Sir John, 240

Aitchison, Sir Charles U., portrait
of, 249

Anderson, James, portrait of, 246,
249

Anderson, James Ford, portrait
of, 255

Apt Pupil, The, 219

Arab Sentinel, An, 242

Archer, James, 13, 21, 43, 44, 68

Armour, love of, 117, 195-198

Armourers, The, 29, 59, 215

Armourer** Forge, The, 215

Armourer's Stall, The, 215

Armstrong, Sir \V., 10, 79, 110,
125, 127

Arran, visits to, 7, 146, 156, 199,

203, 204
Arrest for Witchcraft, The, 77, 78,

82, 188, 189, 220
"Art Journal, The," 88
Artists' Company, City Artillery

Volunteers, 34
At Bay, 57, 82, 84, 173, 220
At Bay (etching), 57, 220
" Athemeum, The," 29, 70
Auld Lang Syne Sketching Club,

43,44

Ballantyne, J., 10, 33, 43
Ballantyne, John, portrait of, 153,

237
Ballantyne, Miss, 237
Ballet Lesson, The, 219
" Barracks, The," 65
Battledore, 87, 222, 259
Bechstein, Edmund, 146
Bechstein, Edmund, portrait of,

154, 256
Before his Peer*, 111, 112, 237
Before the Battle, 146, 230
Before the Fray, 261
Beginning of the Fray, 135, 145,

253
Besant, Captain, 248
Besant, Sir Walter, portrait of,

154, 248

265

34

266

JOHN PETTIE

Besant, Sir Walter, 154, 156

Bishop, A, 230

Blacky Adam, portrait of, 258

BUick y Andrew, portrait of, 154,
257

Black, William, 52, 150, 205

Black, William, portrait of, 149, 231

Black ie and Sons, Messrs., 24, 25,
33, 215, 216, 217

Bloom, Miss £.,256

Blue Boy, Gainsborough's, 119,125

Boar Hunt, The, 238

Boden, Mrs., 233

Boehm, Joseph E., portrait of, 152,
243

Bonnie Prince Charlie, 137, 172,
210, 256

Bossom, Elizabeth, portrait of, 218

Bossom, Elizabeth Ann, 75

Bossom, Mrs. , portrait of, 155, 232

Bough, Sam, 30, 33

Bough, Sam, portrait of, 144, 152,
261

Boughton, George, 52

Boughton, G. H., portrait of, 149,
229

Boughton, Mrs., 229

Bowie, John, x, 207

Boyd, Dr. William, portrait of,
155, 243

"Boys of Axleford," illustra-
tions to, 53

Brazen Serpent, The, 25, 216

Brechin, R. H., 225

Brigand, A, 258

Brimmer to the King, A, 146, 173,
200,236

Brittany Minstrels, 62, 68, 218

Brittany Street, A, 258

Brittany, visit to, 62

Brown, A., 4

Brown, Dr., x, 6, 214

Brown, Ford Madox, 63, 64

Brown, P. S., 241

Buist,J. C., 262

Burgomaster in the Time of Crom-
well, 229

Burne-Jones, Sir E., 49, 64
Burnett, Sir Robert, portrait of,

111, 237
Burr, J., 47
Burton, Dr., portrait of, 159,

249

Cadmium, use of, 165, 166
Callander, summer holiday at,

105
Cameron, Hugh, 11, 16, 18, 33,

39
Cannonier, The, 230
Cardinal, The, 95, 220, 227
Castle, Egerton, 197
Castle Pleasance, The. See Battle-
dore.
Cavalier, A, 216
Cavalier Drinking. See Brimmer

to the King
Cavalier, Sketch of, 228
Challenge, The, 252
Challenged, 47, 119, 124, 125, 126,

127, 145, 245
Challoner, W. H., 24
Chalmers, G. P., 11, 18, 22, 23,

36, 38, 40, 47, 61, 62, 87, 106,

107, 108, 109, 145, 152, 153,

182, 184, 213, 221, 260
Chalmers, George Paul, portraits

of, 258, 259
" Charles Cologne-Pot," 53
Charles Surface selling his

Ancestors, 127, 174, 245
Chieftain's Candlesticks, The, 127,

172, 246
Child, Mrs., portrait of, 156, 242
Clark, Kenneth M., 229, 230
Clark, Mrs. Stewart, 261
Clash of Steel, The, 47, 134, 250
Cleared Out. See Gambler's

Victim, The
Coastguard on the Lookout, 94, 226
Coats, George, portrait of, 251
Coats, Mrs., portrait of, 205, 251
Coats, Thomas, portrait of, 251
Coaxing, 220

INDEX

267

Coleman, , 60

Collie, Mrs., 47, 108
Cook, E. T., 122

Cook, , portrait of, 250

Cooke, , portrait of, 251

Cooper, T. Hall, 262

Cope, A. S., x, 146, 200, 21,3

Cope, C. W., 56

Corrie, 7

Country Surgeon, The, 50

Courtier of the Time of Elizabeth, A,

237

Cowlisham, , portrait of, 282

Cox, James, portrait of, 239, 247
Cox, Thomas H., portrait of, 254

Craig, , 63

Craig, James, 167, 243, 255

Craig, James, portraits of, 243, 255

Craig, Mrs., 219

Crawford, W., 43

CromwelCs Saints, 30, 173, 174,

218
Cromwellian, A, 259
Crystal Palace, 27
Currie, Sir Edmund Hay, portrait

of, 254
Curtius, A. Schulx, portrait of,

154, 252

Dalziel Brothers, 53
Day Dream, The, 27, 216
Dead Rabbit, The, 23, 216
Death of Twedric, King of (J went,

6, 214
Death Warrant, The. See Edward

VI. signing his first Death

Warrant
Delacroix, E., 10, 11
Dempster, Duncan F., portrait of,

253
Dempster, Miss, portrait of, 257
Dempster, Mrs. Duncan, portraits

of, 156, 244, 255
Destruction {sketch ofPaltisy), 46
Dickie, David, 242
Dicksee, F., 78
Dilettanti Society, The, 42

Diploma Gallery, 101, 227
Disbanded, 106, 172, 233
Disgrace of Cardinal Wolsey, 88,

174, 223
Distressed Cavaliers turned High-

waymen, 27, 173, 217
Dixon, Sir Raytton, portrait of, 253
Dobell, Clarence M., x, 64, 67,

68, 69, 70, 185, 207
Dobell, Sydney, 68
Doctor, The, 221
Doctor's Visit, The, 259
Doig, Miss, portrait of, 257
Doig, Wilson, and Wheatley,

Messrs., 232
Dominick Gregg (Mrs.) and

Children, 111, 236
Don Quixote, 261
Dost know this Waterfly'i 118, 119,

120, 125. 145, 174, 241
Douay College, the, 42
Douglas, Sir W. Fettes, 33, 43, 44
Downes, J. H. , x
Drum-head Court- Martial, A, 65,

75, 77, 82, 175, 219
Drummond, Sir George, 227, 232
Drummond, J., 9, 13, 21, 33, 39
Drummond, Rev. R. S., portrait

of, 155, 241
Duke in " The Merchant of Venice,"

The, 237
Duke of Monmouth begging his Life

from James II., 113, 133, 174,

240
Du Maurier, G., 65
Duncan, Edmonstoune, portrait of,

154, 250
Dundee, Fine Art Institution, 233,

238
Dupe, The f 222
Duranty, M., 186
Dykes, Rev. Dr. Oswald, portrait

of, 155, 252

Eastlake, Sir Charles, 64
East Linton, 1, 2, 5, 6, 50, 159,
203

268

JOHN PETTIE

Eaton, F. A., portrait of, 267
Ecclesbourne Glen, 95
Ecclesiastic, An, 237
Edinburgh Artillery Corps, 33
Edinburgh Review, 34
Edinburgh, Scottish National

Exhibition, 190
Edward VI. signing his first Death

Warrant, 110, 145, 175, 235
Edwards, C, 145
Edwards, Mrs., 235
Ellis, Edwin, 4
Etching Club, the, 55
Eugene Aram and the Scholar, 115,

239
Evening Prayer, 25, 215

Faber, Rt Hou. Baron, 224, 253
Faed, John, 43, 44
Faed, Thomas, 43, 44, 52
Faed, Thomas, portrait of, 152,

246, 250
False Dice : Scene in an Ordinary,

2(5, 215
" Family Worship," 24, 25, 142
Farquharson, J. , 4
Farrar, Dean, 115
Fatal Statue, The, 258
Fayre Lodge, A, 157, 260
Ferrier, David, 236
Ferrier, Dr., 138
Fight of the Chieftains, 229
First Lesson, The, 261
First Step, The. See Step, The
Firth, Thomas, 223
Fisherman's Family : Evening

Prayer, 215
Fitzjohn's Avenue, 115
Fitzroy Square, 37, 63-73
Plag of Truce, The, 76, 94, 175,

226
Flageolet, The, 201, 258
Fletcher, Fitzroy C, 247
Fletcher, John Corbet, 145
Fletcher, J. C, portrait of, 234
Fraser, A., 261
Fraser, J. N., 244

Free Lances, 262

Freeman, Mrs. Stewart, portrait of,

255
Friar Lawrence and Juliet, 100,

174, 227
Friedenson, A., 4
Frier, Jessie, portrait of, 214
Frier, Mrs. Andrew, 214
Frier, Robert, 10, 20, 207
Frier, Robert, portrait of, 228
Frier, Mrs. W., 228
Full Scrip, The, 259

Gainsborough, T., 119, 125

Gamblers Victim, The, 222

Garrett, Newson, portrait of, 247

General, The, 234

George Fox refusing to take the
Oath, 74, 174, 218

Gibson, Rev. J. Monro, portrait of,
155, 247

Gipsy, A, 255

Gipsy s Oak, The, 225

Girl in a Wood, 222

Girl with Basket of Flowers, 262

Girl with Orange, 234

Gisborne, Mrs., 259

Glasgow Association for the Pro-
motion of Fine Arts, 23

Glasgow Corporation Art Gallery,
62, 218, 219, 231, 248

Glen, Mrs., portrait of, 251

Glen, T., portrait of, 251

Gloucester Road, Regent's Park,
&3

Goatherd, The, 230

Going to the Fair, 135, 253

Golden Cup, The, 53

Goldsmith to His Majesty, 149, 230

Gondolier, A, 259

Good Day for Fishing, 260

"Good Words," 28, 49, 59

" Good Words," Pettie's illustra-
tions in, 49-52

"Good Words for the Young,"
illustrations to, 53

Gow, Andrew, 63

INDEX

269

Gow, James Mackintosh, 106, 108
Gow, J. M., portrait of, 233
Gow, Leonard, 145, 224
Graham, Peter, 11, 42, 43, 44, 52,

68
Graham, Peter, portrait of, 153,

245
Graham, Tom, 11, 18, 21, 22, 47,

57, 60, 62, 63, 68, 75, 145, 182
Grandmother's Memories, 104, 231
Greenfield, William Bunce, portrait

of, 257
Gregg, Mrs. JK, and Children,

portrait of, 111, 236
Gregory, £. J., 48
Gurney, G., portrait of, 235

Haddon Hall, 87, 261

Haggard, Rider, 145

Haggard, Rider, portrait of, 154,

252
Hall, J. Macalister, portrait of, 250
Halswelle, Keeley, 75
Hamburg Museum, 235
Hardie, Berta and Martin, portrait

of, 156, 238
Hardie, C. M., 4, 146, 217, 233,

238,262
Hardie, James, portrait of, 247
Hardie, Mrs., 234, 238, 247, 250,

259, 262
Hardie, M., 214, 222, 234
Hardie, Muriel, 223
Hardie, Robert L., portrait of, 231
Hardie, T. M., 258
Hardie, W. B., 213
Harding, Colonel, 249, 254
Hark, 227

Harper, Francis, 237
Harper, II . A., portrait of, 241
Harris, William, portrait of, 238
Harris, Wolf, 240, 262
Harris, Wolf, portrait of, 256
Harris, Mrs. Wolf, portrait of, 256
Harte, Bret, 55
Harte, Bret, portrait of, 154,

161,246

Harvey, Sir George, 93
Hastings, visits to, 75, 94, 95, 138
Hastwell, G., 260
Haunted Wood, The, 225
Hawkins, William Bailey, portrait

of, 246
Hay, Thomas, 21
Head of a Jester, 250
Head of the Causeway, 46
Heaton, J. Deakin, portrait of, 244
Henderson, J., 215
Henderson, John, xiii, 263
Henderson, Joseph, 38
Her Grace, 112, 173, 236
Herbalist, The, 235
Herbert, N., 249, 253
Herbert N. , portrait of, 254
Here's to the Maiden of bashful

Fifteen, 245
Herkomer, Professor von, 79
Heydemann, VV\, 229
Highland Outpost, The, 57, 106,

172, 234
Highlanders Fighting, 234
Hill, Captain, 102
Hirst, T. J., 237
His Grace, 112, 173,236
Ho! Ho! Old Noll, 73, 97-100,

109, 173, 202, 227
Holl, Frank, 45, 47, 48, 116
Hollander, Benoit, portrait of, 154,

251 .
Honor, Canon, 24
Hook, J. C.,56
Horsley, J. C, 56
Horsley, Sir Victor, 138
Hospitalfield Collection, 232
Houghton, Boyd, 49
Hour, The, 13, 109, 222, 233
Houston, J. , 44
Howarth, E., 132
Hudibras and Ralpho in the Stocks,

85, 221
Huguenots. St. Bartholomew's Day,

216
Huguenots. St. Bartholomew's Eve,

216

270

JOHN PETTIE

Hungry as a Trooper, 259
Hunt, Holman, 14, 56, 64
Hunt, William, 15, 71
Hunted Down, 105, 232
Hunter, Colin, 45, 47, 57
Hunter, Colin, portrait of 150, 283
Hunter, Mrs. Colin, 233
Hunter, Mrs. Colin, portrait of, 231
Huuter, William, 227
Hutchison, 44

" Iconoclast," 16
Idle Shepherd Boys, 54
Imogen, 232
In Haste, 172
Ingram, Sir W., 232
Intercepted Correspondence, 227
Israels, Josef, 92
Italian Girl, An, 230
Italy, visits to, 87, 205

Jacobite, The, 226

Jacobites, 71,77,100, 101, 145, 172,

227
J affray, Sir John, portrait of, 252
Jaffray, Sir William, 222
J(\ffray,Sir W^V/ram, port rait of, 252
Jester's Merry Thought, The, 120,

137, 241
Johnny Little and his Wonderfu

Cuddy, 214
Johnson, C. E., x, 19, 30, 39, 45,

47, 63, 65, 75, 83, 195, 220, 235
Johnson, C. A'., portrait of, 219
Johnson, Miss £., 263
Johnston, Mrs. C. E., portrait of,

228
Johnston, John Tfwwlis, portrait of,

251
Jones, Lieut. Col. L. J. F., portrait

of, 244
Jordan, John, 218, 220, 221, 236,

250, 259
Julia Mannering, 226
June, 226

Kay, Alexander, portrait of, 246

Keene, C, 49

Keepsake, The, 261

Kelley, F. A., 224, 239

Kennedy, Edward Sherrard,. por-
trait of, 149, 228

Kenuedy, J., 214

Ker, Andrew, 144, 199, 243, 260

Ker, Andrew, portrait of, 243

Ker, Mrs. Andrew, 97, 144, 255

Ker t Mrs. Andrew, portraits of,
156, 221, 242

Ker, Matthew, 144

Ker, Matthew, portrait of, 260

" Kernoozers Club," 196

Killing and Curing, 218

Knight in Armour, A, 237

Knight, The, 230

Knight of the Seventeenth Century,
149, 231

Knox, John, 220

Lady Gay, A, 236
Lady Godiva, 253
Lady in White Cap, 262
Ladye of High Degree, A, 236
Lady of the Seventeenth Century,

173, 232
Lady Teazle, 224

Lady Teazle: a Cup of Tea, 96, 228
Laguillermie, F. A., 245
Laird, The, 110, 233
Lamb, Henry A., portrait of, 254
Land seer, Sir Edwin, 97
Late, 218
Lauder, R. S., 10, 11, 13, 14, 15,

17, 21, 38, 42, 79, 170
Lawrence, Sir T., 78
Lawson, F. W. 9 portrait of, 243
Lawson, George, 45, 47, 106, 145,

152, 213
Lawson, George, portrait of, 153,

257
Leader, The, 230
Leader of the Attack, The, 262
Leeds Art Gallery, 243
Lees, Charles E. s portrait of, 244
Lees, Mrs., 240, 244

INDEX

271

Lefroy, Mrs., 235

Leggat, Alexander, 21

Leighton, Lord, 65, 67, 103

Lethbridge, Waiter Buckler, por-
trait of, 254

Lindlar, Max, 253

IAndlar, Max, portrait of, 154,
258

Linton, East See East Linton

" Literary Idea," condemnation of,
177

Lo, the poor Indian, 46

Lockhart, Mrs., 239

Lockhart, W. E., 160

Lockhart, W. E., portrait of, 153,
239

Longman, C. J., 244

"Longman's Magazine," illustra-
tion to, 54

Looking to Windward, 235

Lordly Gallant, A. See Brimmer
to the King

Lord's Cricket Ground, 99, 202

"Lothians, The," 115-117, 200,
201, 206

Love Song, The, 91, 201, 224

Lovers Stratagem, A, 216

Lovers, The, 260

Low, Miss, 244

Lowenstam, L., 213, 261

Lucas, J. Seymour, x, 126, 196-198

Lucas, J. Seymour, portrait of, 234

M'Arly, T., 233
Macbeth, R. W., 57

APCorquodale, , portrait of, 257

M'Culloch, George, 137
M'Culloch, Mrs., 229, 241, 255
MacCunn, Agnes N., 205
MacCunn, Agnes N., portrait of,

255
MacCunn, Fergus, portrait of, 255
MacCunn, George, portrait of, 257
MacCunn, Hamish, 145, 154, 199,

201, 255
MacChtnn,Hamish, portraits of, 141 ,

161, 248, 256

MacCunn, Mrs. Hamish, 213, 245,

248, 252, 262, 263. (See also

Pettie, Alison)
MacCunn, James, x, 252
MacCunn, James, portrait of, 251
MacCunn, Mrs. James, portrait of,

252
MacCunn, John, portrait of, 251
MacCunn, Professor, 42, 72, 244
Macdonald Art Collection. See

Aberdeen
Macdonald, Greville, portrait of,

257
Macdonald, J., 24
MacDougall, G. K., 227
M'Grady, H., 238
M'Kay, W. D., x, 14
Maclauchlan, Mrs., 261
M i Lean, Miss, portrait of, 241
M*Lean, T., portrait of, 252
WLean, T. H., portrait of, 241
Macleod, Norman, 28, 49
Macleod, Miss, 217
Maclure, Andrew, 43, 44
Maclure, A., portrait of, 234
McTaggart, W., x, 11, 16, 18, 23,

24, 31, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39,

44, 102, 108, 195, 203, 215,

221, 227, 250
McTaggart, Mrs., portrait of, 250
Mac Whirter, Agnes, portrait of, 226
MacWhirter, J., x, 11, 39, 45, 47,

54, 57, 84, 100, 106, 161, 213,

225, 226, 227, 229, 232, 241,

245, 250, 260, 262
Mac Whirter, J., portrait of, 92,

152, 225, 241
Manchester City Art Gallery, 240,

251
Manns, Lady, 257
Manns, Sir August, portrait of,

154, 257
Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield, 76,

86, 219, 221, 223, 224, 226, 231,

232, 261
Mappin, Sir Frederick, 76
Mappin, J. Newton, 76

272

JOHN PETTIE

Marcel, 24

Maris, Matthew, 151

Marochetti, Barou, 78

Marshall, W. Colder, portrait of,

152, 243
Mary Seat on, 261
Mather, Mrs., 250, 261
Matins, 222
May Day, 251
Mayou, Mrs., 227
Meditation, 260
Melbourne, National Gallery of

Victoria, 77, 220, 245
Melchizedek Nesting Abraham, 25,

216
Melville, A., 4
Member of the Long Parliament, 30,

172, 175, 198, 233
Mercenary, The, 231
Michie, J. Coutts, 4
Michie, J. Coutts, portrait of, 153,

257
Midnight Watch, 05, 226
Milkmaid, The, 259
Millais, Sir J., 14, 40, 52, 56, 78,

116, 151, 168, 160, 207
Milwaukee Art Gallery, 210
Minstrel, The: Convent Hospitality,

16, 26, 201, 215
Miss as good as a Mile, 242
Mitchell-Thomson, Sir M., 236
Moment of Danger, A, 57, 106, 234
Monastic Study, 260

Momrieffi, , portrait of, 237

Monk Woodcutter, The, 222
Monks and the Heathen, 50, 52,

210, 222
Moreland, Richard, portrait of, 248
Morning Worship, 25, 26, 215
Morrice, David, 250
Morten, John Garrett, portrait of,

245
Muiijrall, H., 218
Murray, David, xi, 48, 160, 161,

230
Murray, David, portrait of, 153,

160," 230, 259

Murray, James, 249, 253
Musician, The, 130, 247
Musicians, The, 62
Musician's Reverie, 247
Muther, R., 125

National Gallery of Scotland, 13,

76
National Volunteer Association, 32
Ness, Mrs., 133, 250, 254
New Gallery, 141
Nicholl, Erskine, 43
Night March, The, 258
Noah's Sacrifice, 25
Noble, J. Campbell, xi, 4, 253
N of >le, J. Campbell, portrait of,

158, 162-169, 253
Noble, Miss, xi, 162
Noble, R., 4
Normandy Girl, A, 230

Ogston, A. M., 217

Ogston, J., 245

Old Lady in Lace Cap, 258

Old Lieutenant and his Son, 28,

188, 217
Old Mother Hubbard, 220
On the Dark Continent, 255
One ofCromwelfs Divines, 28, 217
One of Marlborough's Generals, 235
Open Door, The, 53, 54
Orchar, James Guthrie, 105
Orchar, James Guthrie, portrait of,

244, 247
Orchar, James Steel, portrait of,

238
Orchar, Mrs., 57, 233, 234, 242,

244, 254, 260, 262
Orchardson, Sir \V. Q., 11, 15,

16, 17, 18, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44,

47, 49, 52, 57, 60, 63, 68, 69,

73, 78, 79, 80, 84, 85, 202, 203,

204
Orientation oft/te Church, 120, 127,

145,173,243
Our Mary, 228, 260
Out of an Engagement, 219

INDEX

273

Palmer, Edward Howley, portrait
of, 258

Palmer, Samuel, 56

Palmer, The, 115, 144, 173, 240

Parsons, A., 48

Passion Flowers of Life, 50

Paterson, J., 4

Paton, Sir Noel, 13, 21

Patrol, The, 238

Paul taken by the Chief Captain, 25

Pax Vobiscum, 87, 222

Pearson, J. L,, portrait of, 152

Pedlar, The, 91, 224

Percival, Mrs., portrait of, 247

Permain, W, 235

Pettie, Alexander, 2, 171

Petite, Alexander, portrait of, 259

Pettie, Alison (the artist's
mother), 3, 171

Pettie, Alison (the artist's mother),
portrait of, 214

Pettie, Alison (the artist's
daughter), 200. See also Mac-
Cunn, Mrs. Hamish

Pettie, Alison (the artist's
daughter), portrait of, 161, 223,
248

Pettie^ Graham, portrait of, 161,
254

Pettie, James, 25, 83

Pettie, Jane, 25

Pettie, Jane, portrait of, 214

Pettie, Marion, 25

Pettie, John, birth, and boyhood
at East Linton, 2 ; his parents,
2, 3; first drawings, 5-8 ; takes
drawings for opinion of J.
Drummond, R.S.A., 9; goes
to Edinburgh and enters Trus-
tees' Academy, 10; letters to
McTaggart, 12, 33, 34, 35, 36,
37, 108; influence of Phillip,
13 ; influence of Pre-Raphael-
ites, 14, 15 ; connection with
Orchardson, 17; friendship
with Chalmers and other fellow-
students, 18 ; prizes at Trustees'

Academy, 21, 22; rejected at
R.S.A., 22; first exhibits at
R.S.A., 23; commissions from
Messrs. Blackie, 24 ; early suc-
cess, 26 ; destroys pictures, 27 ;
meeting with Dr. Macleod, 28 ;
exhibits at R.A., 29; accident
in his studio, 30 ; a visit to
London, 32 ; recreations as a
student, 32 ; becomes a volun-
teer, 32 ; member of Sketching
Club, 39 - 48 ; book - illustra-
tions, 48, 55 ; works for " Good
Words," 49-51, 59 ; etchings,
55 - 58 ; settles in London, 59 ;
visits Brittany 62 ; goes to 37
Fitzroy Square, 63; visit to
Hastings, 75 ; marriage, 75 ;
election as Associate, 78 ; moves
to Gloucester Road, Regent's
Park, 82 ; demand for his
pictures, 82 ; works exhibited
as A.R.A., 83-96 ; moves to St.
John's Wood Road, 84 ; visit to
Italy, 86 ; kindness to Josef
Israels, 92; elected H.R.S.A.,
93; elected Royal Academician,
97; works exhibited as R. A. , 97-
139; serves on R.A. Council
and Hanging Committee, 100 ;
diploma work, 100; has Leigh-
ton as a model, 103 ; spends
summer at Callander, 105;
hears of death of G. P.
Chalmers, 107; builds "The
Lothians," Fitzjohn's Avenue,
115; his studio, 116, 117; his
incomplete studies destroyed,
117 ; visit to Ravnham Hall
with Seymour Lucas, 126;
receives a visit from Verest-
schagin, 134 ; illness and death,
138, 139; portraits, 140-169;
uses friends as models, 143-
146 ; costume -portraits, 148-
150 ; portraits of artists, 151-
153 ; rapidity of workmanship,

35

874

JOHN PETTIE

168-161, 181 ; paints portrait
of J. C. Noble at St Abb's,
162-168; takes subjects from
Scott, 171-172; Elizabethan
and Cromwellian subjects, 173 ;
Shakespeare subjects, 173 ;
historical subjects, 174-176 ;
accuracy of costume and acces-
sories, 176 ; style and technique,
18-20, 55, 69-73, 119, 125, 164-
167, 181-193; summary of his
work, 188-189 ; work in water-
colour, 192 ; love of armour,
tapestry, and old furniture,

195 ; purchases of armour, 195,

196 ; visits to the ' € Kernoozers*
Club," 196, 197 ; love of music,
198-201 ; marriage of his
daughter to Hamish MacCunn,
200 ; a prodigious smoker, 201 ;
plays tennis, 202 ; love of fish-
ing, 203, 204 ; visits to Italy,
205; kindness to the young,
205 ; gives warm welcome to
students, 207 ; always ready
with help and sympathy, 208,
209 ; incessant industry, and
large total of works, 209 ; sum-
mary of character, 209, 210

Pettie, John, portraits of, 19, 152,

201, 211, 213, 214, 241
Pettie, Mrs., 40, 45, 75, 86, 144,

152, 161, 205, 213, 216, 218,

223, 232, 236, 237, 247, 248,

254, 258. See also Bossom,

£.
Pettie, Mrs., portraits of, 218,

220, 234, 237, 252, 254, 255,

261
Pettie, Norman, portrait of, 161,

247
Pettie, Ralph, 144, 152, 240
Pettie, Ralph, portrait of, 161,

236 252
Philip Clayton's First-born, 53
Phillip, John, 13,14,66, 109, 185,

188

Pinch, A, 238

Pinnington, Edward, 61, 117

Pinwell, G. J., 51, 64

Plummer, Charles Scott, portrait of,

236
Polonius, 262
Portland, Duke of, portrait of,

252
Portrait - Painters' Exhibition

(1907, 1908), 141
"Postman's Bag, The," illustra-
tions to, 53
Poynter, Sir Edward, 65, 67
Pre - Raphaelite influence and

methods, 14, 15, 49, 69, 70,

142
Prince Charming, 228
Prince of the Church, A, 238
Pringle, Mrs, R. H., portrait of,

249
Prison Pet, The, 24, 26, 80, 174,

215
Puritan, The, 224, 261

Queen's Scholar, Westminster, 242
Quilter, Sir W. Cuthbert, 242

Rabbiting, 242

Raeburu, Macbeth, 227

Ramsay, Dr., 221

Ramsay, J., 261

Ramsay, R. W.,235

Ransom, The, 120

Ransomed, 241

Raynham Hall, 126

ReckiU, Mrs., portrait of, 252

Redgrave, R., 66

Reductio ad Absurdum, 124

Rehearsal, The, 78, 201, 219

Reid, Sir George, 151, 213

Reid, Sir George, portrait of, 153,

250
Rejected Addresses, 66, 90, 174,

224
Rembrandt, 71, 72, 100, 147, 163,

166, 170
Reverie, The, 262

INDEX

875

Reynolds, Sir J., 119, 163, 166

Rhead, G. Wooliscroft, 241

Rhodes, Fairfax, 242, 245, 256

Richeton, L., 232

Richmond, G., 78

Ripley, Dowager Lady, portrait of,

248
Ripley, Lady, portrait of, 248
Ripley, Sir Edward, portrait of, 248
Ripley, Sir Henry W. A., 248
Ritchie, C. T., portrait of, 246
Ritchie, Lord, 246
Riviere, Briton, xi, 146, 183, 186,

206,230
Riviere, Briton, portrait of, 149,

229
Rob Roy, 106, 145, 232
Roberts, T. L. S., 260
Robertson, George Berwick, portrait

of, 225
Robertson, Mrs., 222, 233, 235,

238, 247, 260
Robertson, William, portrait of,

235
Robinson, Sir Bryan, portrait of,

238
Romeo's Visit to the Apothecary,

223
Roses in the Lane, 258
Ross, Sir William, 64
Rossetti, Christina, 64
Rossetti, D. G., 52, 64
« Royal Academy Notes " (1875), 71
Royal Holloway College, 227
Royal Wimbledon Golf Club, 254
Royalist, The, 224, 261
Rubens, 185, 190
Ruined, 259
Ruskin, John, 15, 71, 72, 73, 101,

180
Ryland, T. H., 234

St Abb's, holiday at, 162

St Bartholomew's, Smithfield, 122

St. Cecilia, 253

St. John, 262

St John's Wood Road, 84

Sally, The, 76, 88, 89, 175, 188,

223
Sanctuary, 95, 226
Sandys, Frederick, 49
u Sarah Walker;' illustration to,

55,244
Scene from " Peveril of the Peak,"

131, 144, 172, 249
Scene from "The Fortunes of

Nigel," 23, 172, 214
Scene from " The Monastery," 24,

26, 80, 172, 215
Scene in Hal o' the Wyntfs Smithy,

101, 172, 228
Scene in the Temple Gardens, 90,

174, 224
Schnorr, 25

" School for Scandal," 96, 127
Scotch Lassie, A, 260
Scott, Sir W., 105, 128, 130, 131,

171, 172
Scott-Moncrieff, W. D., 57
€t Scottish Art and Artists in

I860," 16
Scottish National Exhibition

(1908), 13, 128,190, 213,216,218
Sentinel on Duty, 226
Shakespeare subjects, 173, 174
Shaving without Soap, 259
Shaw, Mrs., portrait of, 255
Sheffield, Mappin Art Gallery.

See Mappin Art Gallery
Sheridan subjects, 96, 127, 174
Short's Observatory, 30
Silvia, 136, 156, 255
Sihnus and Phebe, 93, 136, 174,

225
Sir Peter and Lady Teazle, 127,

174, 245, 260
Sisters, The, 240

Site of an Early Christian Altar, 243
" Sixties, The," in book illustra-
tion, 48
Sketch of a Forge, 215
Sketching Club, 32, 38-48, 216,

234
Slocombe, C. P., 112, 236

ZJ6

JOHN PETT1E

Small, William, 51

" Smashers, The," 42

Smith, Archibald, 241

Smith, Barr, 24, 215

Smith, Finlay, 214

SobeU, 0. Fischer, portrait of, 154,

249
Soldier cleaning Armour, 217
Solo, The, 104, 174, 201, 229
Song without Words, 201, 251
Spanish Admiral, A, 254
Spence, Dr. Blair, 61
Spring, 228
Spring Flowers, 228
Squire, The, 247
Stanley Street, Pimlico, 60, 63
State Secret, A, 97, 109, 175, 227
Steel, Master S., portrait of, 257
Steel, Miss Grace, portrait of, 257
Steel, W. S., 238
Step, The, 103, 174, 230
Stephenson, J., 25, 215, 216
Stevenson, John, 258
Stevenson, R. L., 179
Stewart, A. F., 226
Stewart, Charles, 256
Stewart, James, portrait of, 246
Stewart, John, portrait of, 250
Stewart, Mrs., 250
Stirling, John, 43
Stock, F. R., 47
Storm in a Teacup, 132, 174,

193, 249
Strachan, Sheriff, portrait of, 150,

237
Strahan, Alexander, zi, 28, 49, 51,

53, 54, 59, 60, 235
Strahan, Alexander, portrait of,

226,235
Strategists, The, 219
Stroller, The, 214
Studies for pictures, 117
Studio, Pettie's, 116,117
Study for a Background, 262
Study in a Picture Gallery, 219
Study of an Interior, 239
Study of an Orchard, 263

Study of Furze and Trees, 263
Study of Interior of Wood, 262
Study of White Roses, 263
Subject-painting, 177-180
Sub-Prior and Edward Glendin-

ning, 61, 217
" Sunday Magazine," illustrations

to, 53
Suspense, 234

Sweet Seventeen, 120, 156, 242
Sword-and-Dagger Fight, 76, 104,

172, 231
Sybil, The, 225

Tate Gallery, 77, 122, 244

Taylor, Mrs., portrait of, 260

Teazle, Lady, 224

Teazle, Sir Peter, 224

Tenniel, Sir J., 49

Tennis Player, The, 202, 260

Terms to the Besieged, 93, 94, 175,
225

Terrace at Haddon, 259

Thallum, Miss, 145

Thomas, Grosvenor, 4

Threat, The, 102, 103, 137, 145,
175, 196, 229

Three Boys, 53, 54

Tiff, The. See Storm in a Teacup

Time and Place, The, 75, 172, 218

"Times, The," 75

'Tis Blythe May Day, 90, 136,
224

To. the Death. See Sword-and-
Dagger Fight

To the Fields I carried her MUking-
Pails, 95, 136, 225

Toast, The, 95, 174, 226

Tonsure, The, 74, 218

Tooth, Arthur, portraits of, 149,
161, 225, 230

Tooth and Sous, Messrs., 225

Toreador, The, 239

Torrie, Miss, 258

Touch of Nature, A, 50

" Touches of Nature," illustra-
tions to, 54

INDEX

277

Touchstone and Audrey, 88, 136,

174, 223
Traitor, The, 73, 132, 145, 175, 250
Treason, 76, 82, 85, 87, 89, 93,

133, 175, 188, 221
Trio, The, 73, 174, 201, 218
Trotman, Miss M., portrait of, 248
Troubadour, The, 224
Troubadour in Prison, The, 221
Trout-Fisher, A, 238
Trout-Fishing in the Highlands,

112, 146, 204, 238
Trustees' Academy, 10, 11, 17, 19,

20, 21, 38
Tuke, the Model, 262
Tullis, James T., 258
Turner, H. J., 222
Turner, J. M. W., 32
Turrell, A., 226
Tussle for the Keg, 87, 102, 174,

222
Tussle with a Highland Smuggler,

See Tussle for the Keg
Twa Corbies, The, 41, 42, 216, 244
Two Strings to her Bow, 90, 131,

135, 136, 145, 174, 192, 248

Ullathorne, The Right Rev. W. B.,

portrait of, 154, 230
Ultimatum, The, 57, 137, 146, 175,

196, 210
Unknown, The, 157

Van de Velde, Mme., 246

Vandyck, 190

Verestschagin, 134

Viendrart-ilf 217

Vigil, The, 77, 119, 120, 122-124,

127, 145, 244
Village Schoolmistress, The, 222
Violinist, The, 136, 145, 201, 255
Visit to the Necromancer, 86, 144,

221
Volunteer movement, 32

Waddel, William, portrait of, 243
Waiting, 172

Waiting for an Audience, 261

Walker, Fred, 51, 64

Walker, Rev. R. J., 215

Wall, Joe, 65, 66

Wallace, R. W., 238

Wallace, Mrs., portrait of, 241

Wallace, William, xi, 115, 146, 241

Wallace, William, portrait of, 237

Wallis, T., 229

Wallis and Son, 221, 223, 224, 239

Water Gate, The, 26, 216

Watson, J. D.,44, 83

Watt, Alexander Strahan, 145

Watt, A. &, portrait of 247

Watt, A. P., xi, 134, 145, 146,

153, 234, 247, 255, 256
Watt, A. P., portrait of, 150, 158,

234
Watt, Fiddes, 4
Watt, Hansard, 144
Watt, James, 145, 164
Watt, James, portrait of, 242
Watt, Mrs., portrait of, 251
Watt, Miss Bessie, 244
Watt, Miss Bessie, portrait of, 156,

255
Watt, William PeUie, portrait of,

156, 256
Watts-Dunton, Theodore, 64
Watts, G. F., 65
Way to the Loch, 204, 238
Weary with present Cares and

Memories sad, 222
Wehrschmidt, D. A., 248
Weinberg, J. Julius, 220
What d'ye lack, Madam? 29, 59,

172, 216
What sent me to Sea, 49
Whistler, J. M'N., 49, 64, 71, 81,

187
White, E. F., portrait of, 149
White, Mrs. E. F., portrait of,

158, 235
White, Gleeson, 51
White Flag, A, 57, 238
Whitehead, S. Taylor, portrait of,

232

278

JOHN PETTIE

Whitehorn, , portrait of, 251

Whitehorn, Mrs., 237

Who Goes? 239

Who leads a good Life is mire to live

well, 30, 218
Wilkie, Sir D., 184, 188, 192
Wilson, James, 21
Windus, 14
Winn, Charles, xi, 118, 144, 159,

160, 226, 228, 240, 249
Winn, Charles, portrait of, 243
Winn, The Misses, portrait of,

240
Wright, Thomas, portrait of, 258
Wolverhampton Art Gallery, 77>

220, 222
Woman leaning hack in Chair, 261

Wood, Adam, 219, 224
"Wordsworth's Poems for the

Young," illustrations to, 54
World went very well then, The, 90,

135, 136, 156, 174, 253
Worrall, J., 233
Wotton, W. B., 256
Wounded Despatch Bearer, The, 219
Wyndham, Lady, 251
Wyndham, Sir Charles, as David

Qarrick, 155, 251

Young Izaak Walton, 120, 204, 242
Young Laird, The, 120, 144, 242
Young Student, The, 24, 26, 195,

215
Yuill, W., portrait of, 246

THE END

Printed by R. & R. Clark, Limited, Edinburgh,

II

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