The Drummond Children

Sir Henry Raeburn

ca. 1808–9 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

Six-year-old George Drummond is shown on his pony, the object of admiring gazes from his foster brother and sister. George became a member of the family bank, married, had four children, and died at age 49. By contrast, by 1821, his father had taken up a life of gambling and dissipation, abandoned his wife and children, and was living with the wife of a naval officer. The preeminent painter of the Scottish Enlightenment, Raeburn was particularly gifted at naturalistic depictions of children.

Artist

Sir Henry Raeburn

Date

ca. 1808–9

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Bequest of Mary Stillman Harkness, 1950