c. 1798

Portrait of Master John Campbell of Glensaddell

Scottish, 1756 - 1823

John Campbell (1794–1859) was painted twice by Sir Henry Raeburn, one of Scotland’s finest portraitists: here as a boy and later as a young man (John Campbell of Glensaddell, c. 1815, The Collection of John and Mary Ellen Imlay, Jr.). An orphan, Campbell is depicted around age three or four in the customary white frock worn by children of both sexes at the time. His black boots and bonnet suggest a state of mourning, as does his position beside a stone monument, perhaps his parents’ grave. Campbell later became a distinguished Scottish sportsman, particularly renowned as a curler and golfer.