Walter Scott and His Artists

Summary of the Talk:

This lecture explores Sir Walter Scott’s deep and evolving relationships with visual artists—both during his lifetime and posthumously—highlighting how Scott not only inspired countless depictions of himself but also fundamentally shaped how artists (and later the public) visualised Scotland.

The lecture focuses on:

• Portraiture of Scott, especially by artists like Henry Raeburn, C.R. Leslie, William Allan, and David Wilkie. Raeburn’s portraits became iconic, though Scott himself favoured Allan.
• Scott’s complex relationship with being painted—he found it tiresome, often humouring artists out of friendship or social obligation rather than vanity.
• William Allan and Rev. John Thomson of Duddingston were personally close to Scott and frequently collaborated with or were inspired by him. Thomson, in particular, was more appreciated by Scott than the famously difficult J.M.W. Turner, despite Turner’s superior technical ability.
• The “Provincial Antiquities and Picturesque Scenery of Scotland” project was a major commercial and artistic undertaking that Scott helped shape through writing and collaboration with various artists.
• Scott’s work transformed the way the Scottish landscape was perceived, intertwining real places with fictional resonance. Fast Castle became Wolf’s Crag; Loch Katrine became Ellen’s Isle.
• Tourism exploded in the wake of Scott’s publications, and artists, publishers, and entrepreneurs responded with paintings, illustrations, and guidebooks to match.
• The lecture touches on the popularity of Scott’s novels as subjects for stage, tableau vivant, and later engravings, as well as his legacy through public monuments—notably the Scott Monument in Edinburgh.
• Scott’s writing often evoked artistic comparison (e.g. referencing Wilkie or Salvator Rosa), showing his awareness of visual language even if he lacked formal training in the arts.

Interesting Highlights

• Scott’s first known portrait was painted when he was just five, already showing his distinct features.
• Though Raeburn’s portraits are now the most enduring images of Scott, he himself found them unflattering (“a very chowder-headed person of me”).
• C.R. Leslie acted like a modern paparazzo at Abbotsford, chasing Scott around to sketch him from all angles!
• Scott called Turner “sordid,” noting his itchy palm and obsession with payment, despite admiring his genius.
• William Allan was the only non-family member present at Scott’s death, underlining their closeness.
• The way Scott’s fiction transformed Scottish geography into a “life-size map of history” was revolutionary—turning familiar places into pilgrimage sites for readers.
• John Knox’s 1840 painting shows a fashionable young tourist on Loch Katrine, directly influenced by The Lady of the Lake—a visual representation of literary tourism.
• Over 300 artists created more than 1,000 works based on Scott’s novels between 1805 and 1870.
• Scott’s influence extended to the stage and opera, with works like Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermuir and Sullivan’s Ivanhoe drawing from his novels.
• The description of mourning in The Antiquary is likened to Wilkie’s painting Distraining for Rent—showing Scott’s power to write scenes with the vividness of fine art.
• Scott often name-dropped artists in his novels to enrich visual imagination (e.g. Raeburn in Waverley, Wilkie in The Antiquary).
• The Scott Monument in Edinburgh, with John Steell’s statue of Scott and Maida, became a key symbol of Scott’s posthumous legacy.