Vereker Monteith Hamilton
Encyclopedia
Vereker Monteith Hamilton (1856–1931) was the son of Lieut. Col. Christian Monteith Hamilton of the 92nd Highlanders, and brother of British general Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton
. He was a Scottish
artist
of military and historical works. Born at Hafton, Argyll on February 14, 1856, he followed his brother to Wellington College
in 1871-73, and was destined for the army, and traveled to Dresden
in 1873 to spend time with Colonel Dammers. However, he chose a career in art instead, following several years in Ceylon from 1873-1883 where he grew coffee. He studied art under Legros at the Slade School where he won a prize in 1886 for landscape painting. He exhibited at the Royal Academy
from 1886 onwards and at the Paris Salon, Glasgow and at the Grosvenor Gallery. He traveled to India in 1886 and spent a good deal of time there visiting Simla
and Kashmir
. In late 1893 he was living in Kilberry, Tarbert, Argyllshire.
Hamilton's military works focused primarily on contemporary events such as Piper Findlater
at Dargai
and the Tirah
campaigns. He exhibited two paintings of the latter campaign entitled Missing and Afridis. His painting of Peiwar Kotal
was inspired by a conversation with Sir Lord Roberts
who encouraged Hamilton to paint the scene. Another picture from the Second Afghan War depicted The 92nd at Kandahar, but he considered it a "shocking bit of work", and after its exhibition at the Royal Academy
, repainted it with a number of new figures; it was exhibited again under its new title Macpherson's Brigade at Kandahar. In 1899, he returned to the subject with his Royal Academy
piece Sniping the rear guard. During the First World War, the artist who was a conscientious objector served with the British Red Cross.
He married Miss Lilian Swainson, granddaughter of ornithologist William John Swainson, and died at Cowden, Kent in 1931 aged 76. Hamilton published an autobiography in 1925 entitled Things that Happened.
Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton
General Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton GCB GCMG DSO TD was a general in the British Army and is most notably for commanding the ill-fated Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Battle of Gallipoli....
. He was a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
of military and historical works. Born at Hafton, Argyll on February 14, 1856, he followed his brother to Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
in 1871-73, and was destined for the army, and traveled to Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
in 1873 to spend time with Colonel Dammers. However, he chose a career in art instead, following several years in Ceylon from 1873-1883 where he grew coffee. He studied art under Legros at the Slade School where he won a prize in 1886 for landscape painting. He exhibited at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
from 1886 onwards and at the Paris Salon, Glasgow and at the Grosvenor Gallery. He traveled to India in 1886 and spent a good deal of time there visiting Simla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
and Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
. In late 1893 he was living in Kilberry, Tarbert, Argyllshire.
Hamilton's military works focused primarily on contemporary events such as Piper Findlater
George Findlater
Sergeant George Frederick Findlater VC was a Scottish soldier in the British Army, who was awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry, for his role in the Tirah Campaign...
at Dargai
Dargai
Dargai is an administrative area of the Malakand District in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, located on the main highway from Peshawar to Swat, Dir and Chitral...
and the Tirah
Tirah
Tirah is a region located in Kurram and Khyber agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan . It lies between the Khyber Pass and the Khanki Valley. It is inhabited by the Afridi and Orakzai tribes of Pashtuns...
campaigns. He exhibited two paintings of the latter campaign entitled Missing and Afridis. His painting of Peiwar Kotal
Battle of Peiwar Kotal
The Battle of Peiwar Kotal was fought on November 28-29 1878 between British forces under Sir Frederick Roberts and Afghan forces under Karim Khan, during the opening stages of the Second Anglo-Afghan War...
was inspired by a conversation with Sir Lord Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
who encouraged Hamilton to paint the scene. Another picture from the Second Afghan War depicted The 92nd at Kandahar, but he considered it a "shocking bit of work", and after its exhibition at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
, repainted it with a number of new figures; it was exhibited again under its new title Macpherson's Brigade at Kandahar. In 1899, he returned to the subject with his Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
piece Sniping the rear guard. During the First World War, the artist who was a conscientious objector served with the British Red Cross.
He married Miss Lilian Swainson, granddaughter of ornithologist William John Swainson, and died at Cowden, Kent in 1931 aged 76. Hamilton published an autobiography in 1925 entitled Things that Happened.
Paintings
- A Forlorn Hope: Peninsula 1810 (1896) (South African National GallerySouth African National GalleryThe South African National Gallery is the national art gallery of South Africa located in Cape Town. The collection began in 1872 with the donation of Sir Thomas Butterworth's personal gallery....
, Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
) - The attack on the Peiwar Kotal (1891( (National Army MuseumNational Army MuseumThe National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, England adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the "Chelsea Pensioners". The National Army Museum is open to the public every day of the year from 10.00am to 5.30pm,...
) - An Ambuscade: an incident of the last Afghan campaign (1893) (Gordon Highlanders)
- After the attack on Sherpur (1893)
- A Shot at Daybreak: KashmirKashmirKashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
(1894 - sporting scene) - The Forlorn Hope at Badajoz
- The Storming of the Kashmir Gate at Delhi (Private collection)
- Study for 'The Storming of the Kashmir Gate, Delhi (Bugler Hawthorne) (Wellington College, BerkshireWellington College, Berkshire-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
) - Macpherson's Brigade assaulting Pir Paimal &c. (Royal Regiment of Scotland, Gordon Highlanders)
- Sniping the rear guard (North-West Frontier) (1897)
- Quatre BrasBattle of Quatre BrasThe Battle of Quatre Bras, between Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army and the left wing of the Armée du Nord under Marshal Michel Ney, was fought near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815.- Prelude :...
(1897) (Museum of New Zealand Te Papa TongarewaMuseum of New Zealand Te Papa TongarewaThe Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
) - Piper FindlaterGeorge FindlaterSergeant George Frederick Findlater VC was a Scottish soldier in the British Army, who was awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry, for his role in the Tirah Campaign...
at Dargai (1898 - Gordon Highlanders MuseumGordon Highlanders MuseumThe Gordon Highlanders Museum is based in Aberdeen, Scotland and celebrates the story of the Gordon Highlanders which were active from 1794 to 1994. It is a 5 star Scottish Tourist Board attraction....
, Aberdeen) - The Airship flown by Captain Neville Usborne, R.N. (Imperial War MuseumImperial War MuseumImperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
)
Further reading
- Hamilton, Vereker M. (1925). Things that Happened. London: Edward Arnold & Co.
- Harrington, Peter (1993). British Artists and War: The Face of Battle in Paintings and Prints, 1700-1914. London: Greenhill ISBN 1853671576