McTear's
Lot 14
JAMES WHITELAW HAMILTON RSA RSW (SCOTTISH 1860 - 1932), WESTMORLAND oil on canvas, signed, titled label versoframedimage size 56cm x 69cm, overall size 78cm x 92cm Labels verso: T. &. R. Annan & Sons, Ltd., Glasgow.Note: James Whitelaw Hamilton was born on 26 November 1860, the eldest child to wood turner James Hamilton and his wife Mary Stevenson of 1 Morris Place Glasgow. His parents moved the family to Helensburgh and lived at Thornton Lodge, 107 Sinclair Street, Helensburgh. Whitelaw Hamilton displayed an aptitude for painting at an early age, and after studying in Glasgow, he moved to Paris and studied at the studios of Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret and Aimé Morot, both considered leading lights of the 19th Century French Movement - specialising in landscapes and portraiture. Whitelaw Hamilton's landscapes have a rugged and raw quality but he did not limit his work to one medium being equally successful using oils, pastels and watercolours. Not surprisingly, given Helensburgh's reputation as a centre for artists, Whitelaw Hamilton became friends with the Glasgow Boys. In 1884, he joined Guthrie, Henry, Crawhall and Melville at Cockburnspath. EA Walton, who spent his winters at Thornton Lodge, and James Guthrie were to remain friends with Whitelaw Hamilton throughout their lives. They shared similar ideals and spent many years in Helensburgh recording the urban lifestyle of the wealthy residents in the town. Whitelaw Hamilton married Lillian Millar Shaw of 12 Lynedoch Place, Glasgow at St Mary's Episcopal Church on 9 September 1891. He and Lillian took residence in the Grange, 23 Suffolk Street, Helensburgh, the home that he was to remain in for the rest of his life. Whitelaw Hamilton exhibited abroad as often as he did at home. He became a member of the Munich Secession and won a gold medal at the Munich International Exhibition in 1897. He became a member of the New English Art Club in 1887, a member of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1922 and a member of the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolours in 1895. He also held the position of Hon. Secretary, Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts. He suffered personal loss in 1918, when his son Lt. Arthur Leslie Hamilton was killed in action in Mesopotamia on 25 October, serving with the 1st Highland Light Infantry. A portrait of his son was completed by James Guthrie and is held within the collection of the Glasgow Art Gallery. James Whitelaw Hamilton died in Helensburgh on 16 September 1932 aged 71. His work is represented in Glasgow Art Gallery, Perth Art Gallery, City of Edinburgh Collection, Lillie Art Gallery, The Hunterian, Perth & Kinross Council, Kirkcaldy Museums & Galleries, Paisley Museum & Art Galleries, Dundee Art Gallery, Kelvingrove, The Royal Scottish Academy, Walker Art Gallery, Weimar Art Gallery in Germany and other public collections.
