Tavernor Knott WSA (occasionally written Taverner Knott) (12 May 1816–25 January 1900) was a Scottish portrait and genre artist. He was the paternal uncle of

Cargill Gilston Knott Cargill Gilston Knott FRS, FRSE LLD (30 June 1856 – 26 October 1922) was a Scottish physicist and mathematician who was a pioneer in seismological research. He spent his early career in Japan. He later became a Fellow of the Royal Society, ...

Life

He was born in Aberdeen in 1816 the son of John Knott (b.1754), a music teacher, and his wife Sophia Pelham. His family (including a sister Sophia M. Knott and brother Tavernor Knott) appear to have moved to 2 St Patrick Square in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

around 1830. In 1839 Knott is listed as a portrait painter living at 2 St Patrick Square in Edinburgh's South Side. As the main householder it must be presumed that his father was now dead. On 3 May 1878 he is listed as a

Master Mason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

of the Humber Lodge, at that date being affiliated also as a member of the Celtic Lodge (2 Brodie's Close on the

Lawnmarket The Royal Mile () is the nickname of a series of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The term originated in the early 20th century and has since entered popular usage. The Royal Mile runs between two ...

). On 1 December 1879 a page in

William Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he was Prime Minister ...

’s diary indicates that he wrote to Tavernor Knott from

Taymouth Castle Taymouth Castle is situated to the north-east of the village of Kenmore, Perth and Kinross, in the Highlands of Scotland, in an estate which encompasses . It lies on the south bank of the River Tay, about from Loch Tay, in the heartland of the ...

shortly before visiting Edinburgh. This appears to have led to a commission as a portrait of Gladstone is amongst his known works. In later life Tavernor's address was 32 York Place in Edinburgh's First New Town. He died in Portobello on 25 January, 1900.

Historical Compositions

See * ''Settlers in the New World'' (1841) * ''Indian Encounter'' (1841) * ''Scottish Emigrants Halting in the Prairie'' (1841)

References

1816 births 1890 deaths 19th-century Scottish painters Scottish Freemasons Scottish male painters Scottish portrait painters 19th-century Scottish male artists {{UK-painter-19thC-stub