A Portrait of Togetherness: Family in Scottish Art (1800–1945)

#hellohalloween Walking through the Scottish Art galleries in Edinburgh, you’ll find more than landscapes and legends—you’ll find family. Not always in grand portraits, but in quiet gestures, shared glances, and scenes of domestic life that feel deeply familiar. One standout is Sir David Wilkie’s “Pitlessie Fair” (1804). Though bustling with villagers and market chaos, it’s the small family groups that anchor the scene—mothers holding children, fathers chatting over barrels, siblings tugging at sleeves. Wilkie’s brush doesn’t just paint people—it paints relationships. The fair becomes a mirror of rural Scottish life, where family is both refuge and rhythm. In more intimate works, like those by William McTaggart, family appears in softer tones. His seascapes often include figures walking together, children playing near the shore, or parents watching over them. The brushwork is loose, but the emotion is clear—a sense of protection, movement, and shared memory.