Local artists

LOCAL ARTISTS

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TWO CENTURIES OF ART IN BLAIRGOWRIE AND RATTRAY

Blairgowrie has been a quiet haven for artists since the early 1800s. Towards the middle of that century a far-sighted painter and decorator in the town, William Dickson, encouraged several of his apprentices, including his son, to turn to fine art. So began a small colony of competent artists who encouraged others to come to the area and in some cases to settle here. It is a situation which continues to this day.

An exhibition entitled The Blairgowrie Boys was mounted at Perth Museum and Art Gallery between December 2006 and May 2007, and the Scots Magazine published an article by Maurice Fleming with the same title (n.s. 166, 3: 285–289, 2007). These told part of the early story.

The following artists, all now dead, are known to have had some connection with this area. They are arranged in alphabetical order within three groups. Where further details are known, a link to that information is added, together with any illustrations of their work that have been made available to us. Other examples of each artist's work can be found online by following the weblinks.Where possible we have also indicated books where illustrations of their paintings can be found. Where original paintings can be viewed locally we have indicated this.

References are to Peter J M McEwan's Dictionary of Scottish Art and Architecture, edition 2, published in 2004 by Glengarden Press, where information about other relevant publications and holders of the artists' works can be found.

If you have further information about these or other artists of local interest, or if you own any paintings by any of them and are willing to let us photograph and add them to this site, please contact us.

Artists born, brought up and/or settled in Blairgowrie/Rattray	Dates (where known)	References
GEDDES, Ewan	1866 – 1935	McEwan 200
GEDDES, Robert Smith	1883 – 1951	McEwan 200
GEDDES, William	1840 – 1884	McEwan 200
DICKSON, William	flourished 1883 – 1898	McEwan 144
FAIRWEATHER, Adam Burnett	flourished 1883 – 1896
FARQUHARSON, David	1840– 1907	McEwan 173
HERDMAN, Robert	1829 – 1888	McEwan 252
MURRAY, George	1875 – 1933	McEwan 405
MURRAY, William Grant	1877 – 1950	McEwan 407
SPINDLER, Jane Elizabeth	circa 1856 – 1939	McEwan 531

Artists known to visit Blairgowrie/Rattray	Dates (where known)	References
BLACKLOCK, Thomas Bromley	1863 – 1903	McEwan 47
BROWN, James Michael	1853 – 1947(or 1957)	McEwan 62
BURNETT, Thomas Stuart	1853 – 1888	McEwan 73
FRAZER William Miller	1864 – 1961	McEwan 192
JOHNSTONE, George Whitton	1849 – 1901	McEwan 281
MACGOUN, Hannah Clarke Preston	1864 – 1913	McEwan 337

Artists we have reference to but know little about
GEDDES, J	(known paintings dated around 1890)

Acknowledgements

An exhibition entitled The Blairgowrie Boys was held in Perth Museum and Art Gallery from 16th December 2006 to 5th May 2007. The biographical notes are based on the accompanying notes from that exhibition, written by Maria Devaney, Principal Arts Officer. The Trust is grateful for permission to reuse some of the notes on these pages.

We are most grateful to public galleries and private individuals who have provided us with images of the paintings displayed on this website and for factual corrections, further information and memories of some of the artists.

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