Robert Hope RSA 1869 -1936

Born in Edinburgh in 1868, Robert Hope died there on the 10th of May 1936. He was originally a lithographic draughts- man, afterwards working at designs for printers, and book illustration.

As a student of the School of Design, Edinburgh, he was awarded a National gold medal, and in the Royal Scottish Academy Life School gained, in the years 1893 to 1895, prizes for painting and drawing and the Chalmers Bursary. Afterwards he studied in Julian’s Academy in Paris.

His election to the Academy as Associate was in 1911 and as full Member in 1925. In 1910 he was Chairman of the Society of Scottish Artists. His Diploma Work is a figure subject entitled “ Glints of Gold.” and the Scottish Modern Arts purchased “ An Old Herd ” in 1935. “ The Charm ” is in the Glasgow Corporation Collection, and he is also represented in Wellington Art Gallery, New Zealand.

Mr. Hope was varied in his work, painting landscape and figures, portraits and some large decorative schemes. His first notable commission in decoration was for the ballroom of Manderston House. He also painted the “ Blue Blanket ” in Edinburgh City Chambers, and the apse of St. Cuthbert’s Church.

In 1921 he painted an important picture of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland addressed by Karl Haig, a work necessitating a great many portrait studies of the principal figures. Much of his subject-matter was derived from Scottish ballad and song, as the “ Bonnie Kilmeny,” which was purchased by the King of Roumania.

Transcribed from the 1936 RSA Annual Report