The Cauld Blast

At first glance this painting appears to be a sentimental image of a grandfather and his granddaughter, but it also relates to the legacy of the Highland Clearances. From the late-18th century, Highland landlords began a campaign of agricultural reform, evicting their tenants to use the land for sheep-farming. For many, it meant the loss of land that their families had farmed for generations. These evictions were experienced alongside widespread famine, rent increases, and poverty.

The lasting impact of the Clearances was beginning to be recognised by British society in the late-19th century. Social unrest in the Highlands in the 1870s led to the establishment of the Napier Commission to investigate the Clearances. This commission resulted in the passing of the Crofter Act in 1886, which aimed to protect the rights of tenants and limit the power of landlords.

Bought by Thomas Holloway, 1882.