Mrs William Urquhart

This picture was painted by Henry Raeburn, prominent Edinburgh-based portraitist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He painted many members of the Scottish elite, to which Mrs William Urquhart, sitter of this portrait, belonged.

Jane Pattison married William Urquhart, a prominent Glasgow merchant, around 1812.The portrait was probably commissioned for this occasion, along with the portrait of her husband, also in Glasgow Museums' collection. Both portraits hung in the family living-room until 1900, when they were bequeathed to the city by their daughter-in-law, Mrs Caroline Urquhart.

In this half-length portrait, Jane is depicted looking to the left. She wears a lavender coat over a white dress with a low-cut, square neckline and a high waistline. This dress is typical of the empire line that came into fashion in the first decade of the 19th century. Her hair style, tied back in a bun with few curls framing the face, is also very typical of the period. The portrait is very similar to that of Mrs Scott Moncrieff (around 1814, National Gallery of Scotland), but the use of pure white brushstrokes to depict the light onto the dress is bolder in this portrait.

Credit: Gifted by Mrs Caroline Urquhart, 1900