Sir Henry Raeburn, RA (1756-1823)
Sir Henry Raeburn is one of the most famous Scottish artists and known for his full-scale portraiture from the late 18th to early 19th century.
Sir Henry Raeburn was an important member of the Edinburgh society from the late 18th to early 19th century. Being an apprentice of a goldsmith, he only started later with painting. He soon began his own work, starting with miniature painting and progressing to full-scale portraits. His earlist known work, a portrait of George Chalmers (1776) suggested his lack of formal training through its incorrect perspective. By the late 1790s his skill had improved immensely and he produced his most famous work, a portrait of Sir John Sinclair, in 1794. In 1812 he was elected president of the Edinburgh Society of Artists and he was knighted in 1822.