The life and art of Walter Geikie (1795–1837)

Abstract

Abstract Sir Archibald Geikie's uncle, Walter Geikie (1795–1837), was one of the most remarkable artists working in Edinburgh in the early nineteenth century. During childhood he had contracted a fever that left him unable to hear or speak. Yet this lifelong disability did not prevent him from pursuing an artistic career. He became a prolific and highly-regarded professional artist, and ultimately was elected as a member of the Scottish Academy. Working as a draughtsman, printmaker and painter, Walter Geikie focused on the portrayal of Edinburgh's poor and working classes, and the depiction of their local environments. His genre studies are full of empathy and wit, while his topographical work is strikingly detailed. Geikie's scenes of ordinary Scottish life avoided the nineteenth-century tendency towards lofty moralizing or grotesque caricature. Instead, his images of pedlars, fisherfolk, markets and fairgrounds convey a profound sense of honesty. This chapter traces the life and career of Walter Geikie, from the struggles of his early childhood to the extraordinary achievements of his maturity. His distinctive artistic style is discussed and his legacy is analysed.

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