Henry George Watson
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| Artist | William Smellie Watson (b.1796, d.1874) |
|---|---|
| Title | Henry George Watson |
| Period | 19th century |
| Description | Three-quarter length portrait of Watson seated. He holds a pamphlet before him with both hands. His left elbow rests on the corner of a table on which there are books, a pen and an ink-pot. Henry George Watson was born in Edinburgh in 1796. He trained as an accountant and was for many years senior partner in the firm of Watson and Dickson, C.A. For a long period he held the appointment of Secretary to the Royal Company of Archers. Well known in Edinburgh and elsewhere for his many acts of unostentatious charity and benevolence, he was a great benefactor of the Church of Scotland and of the University of Edinburgh. He and his sister, Frances Watson, provided a fund for the foundation of a Chair of Fine Art in the University in memory of their brother, Sir John Watson Gordon. Henry Watson was the last surviving member of the family, and, in accordance with the conditions of the Trust, the fund, amounting to nearly £12, 000, passed to the University on his death in 1879. The Watson Gordon Chair of Fine Art was established the same year, and its first occupant, Professor Baldwin Brown, was appointed in 1880. It was the first Chair of its kind in Britain, and another forty years were to pass before Edinburgh's example was followed elsewhere; now there are Chairs, or at least Lectureships, in Fine Art in most larger British Universities. |
| Material | canvas (textile material)/textile materials/materials (substances) ; oil paint (paint)/paint (coating) |
| Dimensions | 130 x 101.6 cm |
| Type | Painting |
| Subject | Henry George Watson (b.1796, d.1879) |
| Collection | Art Collection |
| Classification | oil paintings (visual works) ; portrait ; paintings 1801-1900 |
| Accession Number | EU0972 |