William Ewart Lockhart RSA 1846-1900

William Ewart Lockhart, R.S.A., was born in Dumfriesshire in 1846. He came to Edinburgh in 1861 and in that year commenced exhibiting at the Royal Bronuel Academy, when he had two works in the Exhibition—one “A Coast Scene,” and the other a figure subject called  “ Lara’s Page listening to the Quarrel of the Chiefs.”

He was admitted as a student of the Life School of the Academy in 1862, and also studied painting under Mr J. B. M‘ Donald, R.S.A. In 1864, in consequence of the state of his health, he made a voyage to Australia - and his return, after nearly two years’ residence in Edinburgh, he went on to Spain, where he spent some time studying in the different Galleries.

He found subjects and material suitable to his taste in that country, to which he occasionally returned, and for a number of years produced works chiefly illustrative of Spanish life and story. He also visited Italy and Greece. Latterly he devoted much of his time and attention to portraiture and landscape.

 In 1887 he received Her Majesty's  commission to paint for the Royal Galleries at Windsor a picture of the Jubilee Celebration in Westminster Abbey. He removed soon after to London. Among his principal works are: "Priscilla the Puritan Maiden.” 1870: “The Orange Harvest," 1874; “Don Quixote.” 1875;  "Gil Blas and the Archbishop of Granada," 1878; "Alnaschar," 1879; "Cardinal Beaton," 1880; "The Cid and the Five Moorish Kings," 1882; "The Swine Herd," 1855; "The Church Lottery," 1886; Glaucus and Nydia," 1887; "The Venerable the Archdeacon of London," 1893;  “The Right Hon. the Speaker,” 1894;" Right Honourable Arthur Balfour,” 1898. Among his works in water-colour are :-“ The Royal Procession passing George Street,” 1877; “Durham,” 1882; ~ A Baptism in San Giovanni, Sienna,” “ House of Cornelius Rufus,’ and “ Street of the Tombs, Pompeii,’ 1884.

He was elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1871, and attained the rank of Academician in 1878. In 1888 he was appointed by the Academy its Representative Trustee of the British Institution Scholarship Fund in room of the late Norman Macbeth, R.S.A. He was also a member of the Royal Water-Colour Society. His death took place at London on 9th February 1900. 

 RSA Obituary, transcribed from 1900 RSA Annual Report