John Kelso Hunter
Encyclopedia
John Kelso Hunter was a self-taught Scottish portrait painter and author of two books.
where he had been born in a village in Berwickshire
. His father was a gardener at a South Ayrshire
estate owned by Colonel William Kelso. John was born at Dankeith
, South Ayrshire
, and he was a relation to the McCallums of Troon. His father died in about 1810. Hunter was employed as a herd-boy on the Kelsos' estate, and he was then apprenticed to a shoemaker. When his indentures expired, he settled at Kilmarnock
. He taught himself portrait painting
while continuing his work as a shoemaker.
Hunter moved to Glasgow, where he was employed alternately as an artist and a shoemaker. In 1847 he exhibited a portrait of himself as a cobbler at the Royal Academy, London; it was the only piece of his to be displayed there. He exhibited his painting "A Man's Head" at the Annual Exhibitions of the Royal Scottish Academy
in 1849. After 9 years, he gave the Academy his formal self-portrait piece. He contributed three other works, "A Roadside Inn, Ayr" in 1868 and "From Above Port-Glasgow" and "Self Portrait as a Shoemaker" in 1872.
During 1861 and 1873, Hunter exhibited seven paintings at the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts:
In 1868 he published his first book, The Retrospect of an Artist's Life, subtitled Memorials of West-Country Men and Manners of the Past Half Century. Acquainted in his youth with many who had known Robert Burns, and with some of the heroes of the poet's verse, Hunter embodied these recollections in a volume entitled Life Studies of Character, printed in 1870. The book throws much light on the works of Burns, especially on the original of Dr. Hornbook, and faithfully describes the society into which the poet was born. Valuable notices are supplied of the song writer, Tannahill, and other minor poets of the north.
Hunter died on 3 February 1873 at Pollokshields
, Glasgow.
Hunter's son John Kelso Jr was employed as a teacher and died at 33, Hunter wrote 'he fell into bad health'. He also wrote that his son's wife died shortly after him and his three sons were left to their maternal grandmother.
Hunter's daughter, Anne, married John Laidley Duncan in Scotland
, they moved to Australia not long after their marriage in 1854. In 1859, Duncan formed an Iron Foundry with Mark Straughair in Beechworth, Australia
. Anne and John had 12 children and 17 grandchildren together.
Harry Johnson, Hunter's youngest child, was also an artist, a landscape painter in oil and watercolour. Harry Hunter exhibited A View of Cathcart Church at the Royal Scottish Academy
and Glasgow Institute of Fine Art.
Life
Hunter was the second son and in 1799 his father moved the Hunter family moved from ChirnsideChirnside
Chirnside is a hillside village in Berwickshire in Scotland, west of Berwick-upon-Tweed and east of Duns.-Notables:David Hume, the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher, lived in Ninewells House, just south of the village...
where he had been born in a village in Berwickshire
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
. His father was a gardener at a South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
estate owned by Colonel William Kelso. John was born at Dankeith
Symington, South Ayrshire
Symington is a conservation village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located in Symington Parish, covering 0.41sq Km, and lies close to the A77 road from Ayr to Glasgow...
, South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
, and he was a relation to the McCallums of Troon. His father died in about 1810. Hunter was employed as a herd-boy on the Kelsos' estate, and he was then apprenticed to a shoemaker. When his indentures expired, he settled at Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
. He taught himself portrait painting
Portrait painting
Portrait painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to depict the visual appearance of the subject. Beside human beings, animals, pets and even inanimate objects can be chosen as the subject for a portrait...
while continuing his work as a shoemaker.
Hunter moved to Glasgow, where he was employed alternately as an artist and a shoemaker. In 1847 he exhibited a portrait of himself as a cobbler at the Royal Academy, London; it was the only piece of his to be displayed there. He exhibited his painting "A Man's Head" at the Annual Exhibitions of the Royal Scottish Academy
Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy is a Scottish organisation that promotes contemporary Scottish art. Founded in 1826, as the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, the RSA maintains a unique position in Scotland as an independently funded institution led by eminent artists and...
in 1849. After 9 years, he gave the Academy his formal self-portrait piece. He contributed three other works, "A Roadside Inn, Ayr" in 1868 and "From Above Port-Glasgow" and "Self Portrait as a Shoemaker" in 1872.
During 1861 and 1873, Hunter exhibited seven paintings at the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts:
- 1861 - 'Self Portrait'
- 1862 - 'Dreghorn, Ayrshire'
- 1871 - 'The Reader'
- 1872 - 'Loch Lomond, from Mount Misery' and 'Gourock - looking up the Clyde'
- 1873 - 'Self Portrait as a Shoemaker' and 'From Above Port-Glasgow'
In 1868 he published his first book, The Retrospect of an Artist's Life, subtitled Memorials of West-Country Men and Manners of the Past Half Century. Acquainted in his youth with many who had known Robert Burns, and with some of the heroes of the poet's verse, Hunter embodied these recollections in a volume entitled Life Studies of Character, printed in 1870. The book throws much light on the works of Burns, especially on the original of Dr. Hornbook, and faithfully describes the society into which the poet was born. Valuable notices are supplied of the song writer, Tannahill, and other minor poets of the north.
Hunter died on 3 February 1873 at Pollokshields
Pollokshields
Pollokshields is a district in the Southside of Glasgow, Scotland. It is a conservation area which was developed in Victorian times according to a plan promoted by the original landowners, the Stirling-Maxwells of Pollok, whose association with the area goes as far back as...
, Glasgow.
Family
On 9 August 1822 Hunter married Agnes Willock in Low Church, Kilmarnock. The couple had 13 children over a period of 22 years.- William Hunter - Birth: 26 January 1823 (Kilmarnock, Scotland) Death: Unknown
- Isabella Hunter - Birth: 14 April 1824 (Kilmarnock, Scotland) Death: 29 December 1836 (Kilmarnock, Scotland)
- John Kelso Hunter - Birth: 4 June 1826 (Kilmarnock, Scotland) Death: 2 March 1858 (Glasgow, Scotland)
- Helen Hunter - Birth: 29 December 1827 (Kilmarnock, Scotland) Death: Unknown
- George Hunter - Birth: 9 June 1828 (Kilmarnock, Scotland) Death: 12 May 1838 (Kilmarnock, Scotland)
- Anne Hunter - Birth: 22 November 1830 (Kilmarnock, Scotland) Death: 1898 (Beechworth, VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) - David Hunter - Birth: 19 May 1832 (Kilmarnock, Scotland) Death: Unknown
- James Hunter - Birth: 21 January 1834 (Kilmarnock, Scotland) Death: 7 June 1841 (Kilmarnock, Scotland)
- Agnes Hunter - Birth: 28 November 1835 (Kilmarnock, Scotland) Death: 18 April 1837 (Kilmarnock, Scotland)
- Isabella Hunter - Birth: 8 December 1838 (Kilmarnock, Scotland) Death: Unknown
- George Hunter - Birth: 9 September 1840 (Glasgow, Scotland) Death: Unknown
- Susanna Hunter - Birth: 7 May 1842 (Glasgow, Scotland) Death: 1 May 1843 (Glasgow, Scotland)
- Harry Johnson Hunter - Birth: 29 October 1845 (Glasgow, Scotland) Death: Unknown
Hunter's son John Kelso Jr was employed as a teacher and died at 33, Hunter wrote 'he fell into bad health'. He also wrote that his son's wife died shortly after him and his three sons were left to their maternal grandmother.
Hunter's daughter, Anne, married John Laidley Duncan in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, they moved to Australia not long after their marriage in 1854. In 1859, Duncan formed an Iron Foundry with Mark Straughair in Beechworth, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Anne and John had 12 children and 17 grandchildren together.
Harry Johnson, Hunter's youngest child, was also an artist, a landscape painter in oil and watercolour. Harry Hunter exhibited A View of Cathcart Church at the Royal Scottish Academy
Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy is a Scottish organisation that promotes contemporary Scottish art. Founded in 1826, as the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, the RSA maintains a unique position in Scotland as an independently funded institution led by eminent artists and...
and Glasgow Institute of Fine Art.
External links
- Future Museum, South West Scotland http://www.futuremuseum.co.uk/Default.aspx?Id=157
- Ancestry.co.uk http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=search&track=OFTS&ti=5538&surname=HUNTER&stype=Metaphone&given=John&dplace=Glasgow%2c+Strathclyde%2c+Scotland%2c+UK&dyear=1873&drange=1
- Ayrshire History: http://www.ayrshirehistory.org.uk/Bibliography/books_gh.htm