James Howe 1780-1836
James Howe was born on 30 August 1780 at Skirling in Peeblesshire. At the age of fifteen he was sent to Edinburgh, where he was apprenticed to the Nories, well-known house-painters and interior decorators. From 1808 he exhibited with the Society of Artists in Edinburgh.
Howe primarily painted carefully detailed studies of animals, alongside more lively and comical paintings of rural scenes and character portraits. He carried out commissions for King George III and the eleventh earl of Buchan.
In 1815 he visited Waterloo, possibly accompanied by his pupil William Kidd (1796–1863), and on returning to Edinburgh produced a large panorama painting of the battle which was exhibited in both Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Examples of his work are in Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums; Dundee Art Galleries and Museums; the National Gallery of Scotland, and Edinburgh City Libraries.
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The Wilkie Tradition
25 Sep - 24 Oct 2020 EdinburghScottish pastoral life became a literary focus at the close of the 18th century in the poetry of Burns, Ramsay and Fergusson. This, combined with an emerging availability of engravings...Read more -
Notable
Highlights from the year 23 Jun - 15 Jul 2017 EdinburghNotable drew together a selection of the most memorable and significant paintings to have passed through the doors of The Fine Art Society in Edinburgh in 2017. The rarity, ingenuity,...Read more -
Folk and Fancy
Tales and Tradition 21 Apr - 20 May 2017 EdinburghCentral to the show was a large-scale painting by James Howe (1780-1836) of All Hallow’s Fair on Calton Hill (c .1817-22). The last All Hallow’s fair was held in 1813...Read more
