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Scenes from an Artist's Life
Chapter 21
" 'Twas noble, sir; 'twas like yoursel',
To grant your high protection;
A great man's smile ye ken fu' well
Is aye a blest infection."
BURNS.
A SENSIBLE ACTION-COLONEL SHAW-SIR JOHN SHAW'S OFFER-A GLASGOW SITTER ANDREW URQUHART AND HIS EXAMPLE-MAXWELL DICK-THE MAGISTRATES AT AN ILLEGAL PERFORMANCE-JOHN GARVEN-JOHN LONGMUR-PORTRAITS FOR PEEBLES AND INDIA- NIGHTS WITH THE DEBTORS IN IRVINE JAIL.
I HAD begun to the portrait of the late John Wylie, he who was accidentally shot while on a gull- shooting excursion. He was in good health and great spirits when he sat down to the first sitting. While his wife was at her first sitting, John said, " Hunter, I'll away and do a wholesome action while you finish your sitting." When I was finished, he came in, sat down, and looked in my face. He said, " Hunter, I think that I have done a sensible action since I was here." I asked what it was. He said that he had sent a boll of meal off to Kilmarnock to mak' parritch to my weans.
Sandy M' Kinlay, blockmaker, used to make my stretchers. I had John Wylie's trysted with him, to be brought to Mr Ross's at breakfast time. He did not bring them, but called and said that they were ready. I could come down after ten o'clock, and, by carrying them along the street, they would be as good as an advertisement. I went for them, and, while coming home, I saw a fine-looking old gentleman standing in conversation with William Lyle. I looked at him, and he at me. When I had finished my sitting with Mrs Wylie, and talking with John about the meal, notice came that Colonel Shaw wanted to speak with me. I washed my face by order of Mrs Wylie. She got a clean shirt collar on me, and sent me off to see the Colonel, passable to look at.
The Colonel was a man of few words, but there was a pith in his expression, an open, straightforward statement as to what he wanted. " I did not know that we had an artist in Irvine till I saw you pass to- day with a pair of stretchers in your hand. I was inquiring at Willie Lyle what you were, where you staid, and where you were from. He seemed to know all about you. And after I came home I thought that I would like to have the likenesses of Tom and James. What's your charge ?" I told him. " When will you be ready to begin ? " I told him. He called on the two boys; they made their appearance. He asked Tom, " How would you like to look?" "Like a man !" said Tom, " and, like a sailor, I wish my neckcloth to fly away in the wind as if going aloft." " Then," said the Colonel, " James is very glee'd, but just paint him as he is."
I began to the boys at the time appointed. Before beginning, the Colonel said that he wished me to be comfortable during the process. He set four bottles on the sideboard, and said, "When you finish those, tell Tom and I'll give you more.'' What was in the bottles I know not. I did not inquire within. " I wish you to be comfortable," he often repeated. " Do you take a smoke ?" I said sometimes. He despatched Tom for a quarter of a pound of tobacco, cut it down, and put it into a large smoking apparatus named a hubble-bubble. It held the whole of the tobacco. He then brought a large piece of red coal in the tongs, set it upon the top, and said, " Now go to work, and you'll have a cool, comfortable smoke. When you are finished close the lid and that will put out the pipe. The reek comes through water, which both cools and purifies it."
The third day I was with the Colonel he called on me, saying he did not wish to disturb me; but, if the work could be looked at, he had a friend who had called he would like to show them to. I admitted them, when he introduecd his friend as John M'Fie Shaw. The Colonel seemed highly pleased with the work, as I had got the forms what he called satisfactory to him. He turned to his friend and said, with an earnest and entreating, yet dignified manner, " Man, Shaw, you might patronise this chap." He answered, "You know that I go to London on Wednesday." "Man, you might do it; he comes from Kilmarnock like yourself." "Had I been staying in town," said his friend, "I would have done it; but you must try your influence in the place." " Man, Shaw, you know that I am willing if I had the means, but I'm doing what I can." The Colonel went away for a few minutes, when his friend said, "My friend the Colonel seems to take a lively interest in your welfare as an artist. He must see something in you to please him when he insists so hard that I should do something for you. I'll tell you what; were you coming to London, I would do something for you there." " Oh, sir," I answered, " there's a difficulty in getting there." " Let that be no difficulty; I'll take you there, and keep you there for six months; and if you behave yourself and prove worthy, I'll pass my word that I'll do as much for you as my friend Sir James did for your townsmen the Tannocks, and I think it is no boast though I should say that he has made men of them." I said that a tailor once attempted to make a man of me, but he spoiled me. However, the world about Kilmarnock seemed to think that the patronage of Sir James Shaw gave the Tannocks standing in society. I thanked Mr Shaw for his kindness, and said that there was a difficulty he did not seem to be aware of. I had a wife and nine children in Kilmarnock. " How would we do with them? Much as I respect art, I respect them more, and could not feel myself justified in leaving them for that period on such a speculation." I thought that time well applied at home was my only chance. He looked at me and said, " Circumstanced as you are, I think your decision is manly."
Reader, such conversation I had with, and such offer I had of help from, the present Sir John Shaw of London, from whose great heart many spontaneous acts of kindness have been poured out on society. Many have had cause to bless him as well as me.
I finished the Colonel's two sons to his great satisfaction, and we kept on terms of intimacy as long as he lived.
One day, Mr William M'Jannet, banker in Irvine, called on me. He wished me to be at a minute's notice, to paint the portrait of his friend, Mr William Mutter, of Glasgow, who was coming to Irvine some day, and could only remain there three days. I was to have everything in readiness, so that when he got notice of Mr Mutter's coming, I was to be on the ground ready to act. I met Mr Mutter by appointment in Mr M'Jannet's, and painted his portrait as well as I could. Mr M'Jannet proposed that when I had finished up Irvine, I should go to Glasgow, under Mr Mutter's patronage, and remain there till I finished up Glasgow.
Andrew Urquhart was one of my large-hearted patrons, who could both say and do a good thing. He was a manly looking individual, and recognisable. He proposed that I should paint his portrait on properly-prepared canvas, and he would pay that much extra. I did so. His portrait was a great success; and when it was finished he called eleven of his well-to-do acquaintances to witness the performance. There was no dissent. He gave them a dram; and afterwards he asked me to stand up, as we were the principal figures present. He said, " I think our contract was a guinea." I said, "Yes." "Now, to show you that I am satisfied, there it is; and there is a half a guinea premium. Now, I hope all of you will employ Hunter, and that none of yea will be worse to him than I have been." I got seven out of the eleven, and every one of them took the good example shown them, and gave me the premium.
Maxwell Dick was a magistrate in Irvine. He took a lively interest in every subscription sale I had. Disinterestedly he did it, by exhibiting specimens in his shop and selling tickets without fee or reward. At my third subscription sale in Irvine, Mr Dick said to me on the day of the sale, "Hunter, I mean to do you a little honour to-night." I did not inquire in what shape he meant to do it. The sale was in Samuel Dunlop's. As usual, I had a respectable attendance, and among the number were Colonel Fullarton and Colonel Shaw. Mr Dick had made a suggestion to the Provost and other magistrates that they should visit me at the disposal of my paintings. They came into the room arm-in-arm. I had a little acquaintnce with each of them. I felt honoured by the first look of them. My other patrons who had assembled prior to their coming rose to their feet when they made their appearance. Mr Dick was the first to speak. He looked round on the meeting and said, " I am happy to see you, Colonels Fullarton and Shaw, patronising an illegal performance, and you on the other hand must observe that when a deserving individual comes amongst us the Provost and Magistrates of Irvine can set the strict letter of the law aside and give countenance to genius, when coupled with good behaviour. Mr Hunter's conduct has been open and his exertions honourable, and we thus publicly do him honour."
John Garven was one of my early patrons, and one of whom I was proud. Every person seemed to
respect him. He exhibited to me a liberal and large-hearted feeling both at raffles and when he sat
for his portrait. It was the busy season with him, yet he continued to give me whiles six sittings a
day, a few minutes at a time. I made an excellent likeness of him. I had begun to his portrait on the
Wednesday, and the last sitting of the week was after dinner on Saturday. When I had done with it,
he started up from the seat and said, " Now, I'll away to Towerlands and have tea, and go you home
and see your wife and weans at Kilmarnock, and give the wife my compliments and take care of
that :" suiting the action to the word, he had two pounds rowed up, which he threw at me. I looked
at him and said, Although I had been finished I had no right to this. " Never you mind, Hunter, refuse
nothing that's useful; I'll get something else again." John has had ups and downs since, but goodness
and greatness are the only shapes I can view him in.
John Longmuir was one of my early patrons, whose stern upright manner and friendly disposition
toward my welfare have left a lasting impression.
Simple as these jottings may seem, they are to me monuments of greatness and goodness found
in the human family, which I never could have known had I remained in the garret. Sometimes I am
like to think that I have wasted a life chasing a phantom. Again I think that although I had continued
making shoes, I would not have left the same marks of mind behind me.
Shakespeare says " that a great man's memory may outlive his life half a year, but he must build
churches then." I am confident that my life will be outlived more than a whole year in memory, if
only from the fact that I have preserved clergymen from passing away from the presence of their
friends as soon as they otherwise would have done.
I made the acquaintance of Mr Andrew Craig, Free School teacher in Irvine. He had a brother a
clergyman in Peeblesshire, who was communicated with as to the great event of there being an
artist in Irvine. Andrew was intrusted to judge if I was worthy; and, if so, to engage me to paint his
father and mother, and send them on to Mountain's Cross. I began to think my fame was spreading
abroad.
I was successful with the old pair; and, while engaged at them, Mr Barclay, the Baptist minister,
called on me and arranged with me to paint the likeness of an old lady, to be sent out to Serampore
to her daughter, who was married to his son. There was a charm in the idea of being worthy of such
trust. I was successful, and Mr Barclay's daughters thought that it would not look like a finished act
of kindness to send the old lady alone, so they proposed that his own be sent along with hers. I
was very successful with Mr Barclay's. I question if I ever was more so with any portrait since.
I was beginning to gain confidence; although I had always seemed to have that quality strong, while
in reality I was weak as a child. Mr M'Laren, the Relief clergyman, sent to me for his likeness also;
and so long as those two clergymen lived, I was on terms of intimacy and true friendship with them.
A great many other patrons are as well remembered as those whose names appear in print, but there
were points in some which left a mark.
I used to visit the jail at nights. It was tenanted mostly by people who were scarce of sma' change. I
was in one night when some of the debtors thought that a glass of whisky would do them nae harm.
I was intrusted to bring in the medicine, and not being acquainted with the laws of the jail, I asked
the decent old jailor where I could get the whisky. He said, " There's no drink allowed to come in
here, sir. Go to Mr Wallace's at the foot of the stair, get the best, keep it out of my sight else I'll take it
from you." I did as I was bidden. That bottle was soon swallowed, and other two to keep it down. The
old jailor, true to his trust, shut his eyes the time it was going round, and no fewer than seven glasses
came to his share, the which he held out his hand most ingeniously for, and found the way to his
mouth like one whose sight was of the most acute sort. Three of the prisoners played the fiddle; they
had a dance amang themselves that night; and having cried names from their windows to some lieges
in authority whom they saw on the street, were put under a month's non-admittance of friends.