Norman Macbeth (1821 in

Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...

– 27 February 1888 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

) was a Scottish portraitist.

Life

He was born at

, where his father James Macbeth was an excise official. He served a seven years' apprenticeship as an engraver in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, and then went to London, where he studied at the

Royal Academy Schools The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

, and copied artworks in the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

. He moved on to Paris, where he worked in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

and studied under a master. In 1845 Macbeth established himself as a portrait-painter in Greenock, moving to Glasgow in 1848, and in 1856 again practising in Greenock. Since 1845 he had been a regular contributor to the exhibitions of the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country's national academy of art. It promotes contemporary art, contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy ...

, and in 1861 he went to Edinburgh. There he was successful as a portrait-painter, and was elected an Associate Royal Scottish Academician (ARSA) in 1870, and full member in 1880, entitling him to add the letters 'RSA' after his name. About two years before his death Macbeth moved to London. There he represented the Royal Scottish Academy as trustee of the

British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it ...

Scholarship Fund. He died there on 27 February 1888.

Works

Macbeth's portraits were considered unmistakable likenesses. His works include the portraits of Sir John Steell RSA, acquired by the Royal Scottish Academy, and that of the Rev. Dr. Lindsay Alexander, by the

Scottish National Portrait Gallery National Galleries Scotland: Portrait is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. Portrait holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Collec ...

. His portrait of

Patrick Don Swan Patrick Don Swan of Springfield FRSE DL (1808–1889) was a Scottish shipowner and shipbuilder who served as Provost of Kirkcaldy. He was a friend of Thomas Carlyle. Life He was born on Whyte's Causeway in Kirkcaldy on 19 August 1808 the son ...

of Springfield is held in

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; ; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest s ...

Family

Macbeth married Mary Walker, and they had six sons. Three of those James Macbeth (1847–1891),

Robert Walker Macbeth Robert Walker Macbeth (30 September 1848 – 1 November 1910) was a Scottish painter, etcher and watercolourist, specialising in pastoral, pastoral landscape and the rustic genre. His father was a portrait painter named Norman Macbeth and his ...

RA (1848–1910), and Henry Macbeth-Raeburn RA (1860–1947) also became artists, and

Allan Macbeth Allan may refer to: People * Allan (given name), a list of people and characters with this given name * Allan (surname), a list of people and characters with this surname * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian fo ...

a musician. One other son named after him, Norman Macbeth, had a daughter

Ann Macbeth Ann Macbeth (25 September 1875 – 23 March 1948) was a British embroiderer, designer, teacher and author. She was a member of the Glasgow Movement where she was an associate of Margaret MacDonald and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and many ...

who was prominent in the Glasgow Movement. Mary Walker Macbeth, a daughter, married Arthur Thomson.

Notes

External links

* Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Macbeth, Norman Royal Scottish Academicians 1821 births 1888 deaths Scottish portrait painters Artists from Greenock 19th-century Scottish painters Scottish male painters 19th-century Scottish male artists