Raeburn’s Edinburgh exhibition opens to the public

A new exhibition of Raeburn portraits opens the doors on the painter’s career, his subjects’ experiences of sitting for portraits, and life in Enlightenment Scotland. Running from 2 June–26 November at the Georgian House and free to Trust members, it includes audio of sitters’ experiences and a Raeburn's Edinburgh walking route.

The Raeburn’s Edinburgh exhibition brings together 18 carefully selected portraits and engravings, including a self-portrait, from across six National Trust for Scotland properties for the first time. It tells stories of the artist, the people who sat for him, and the society and attitudes of the city they inhabited.

Curating the exhibition is Dr Antonia Laurence-Allen: ‘Many people are familiar with Raeburn’s work, through portraits such as The Skating Minister – or, to use its official title, Reverend Robert Walker (1755-1808) Skating on Duddingston Loch – on show in the Scottish National Gallery. But there’s so much more to Raeburn and his world. Using our charity’s Raeburn collection, we’ve created an intimate and inspiring visitor experience which aims to offer insights into the privileged and enlightened world he moved in.

‘Raeburn was very much a man of the moment, during one of the capital’s most vibrant periods, painting everyone from astronomers to aristocrats. This is illustrated through the portraits we have chosen for the exhibition, each of which has a unique Edinburgh connection and an individual story about Raeburn, to provide a unique and fascinating picture of the city.’

Running in parallel, a programme of events and interpretation will illuminate different aspects of Raeburn’s Edinburgh, covering topics from print culture and maps, to historic links to the Caribbean and how visitors can research their own Scottish family history (perhaps finding a link to someone Raeburn painted!). Family events include paper-cutting and collage workshops for children aged six and upwards.

One feature of the exhibition, designed to engage visitors of all ages, is a series of audio recordings. These share the stories and viewpoints of sitters, such as why they commissioned the portrait, how they paid for it, how they chose their outfit, and what they felt about the experience. The short multi-perspective audio stories give fresh insights into the sitters themselves and the working practices of one of Scotland’s best-known painters. They also create a vivid mosaic of the time, helping the visitors of the 21st century to imagine, for themselves, the Edinburgh of centuries back.

A map of Edinburgh, dating back to 1821, covers one wall of the exhibition. This pinpoints key locations in Raeburn’s life, including his studios in the New Town’s George Street and York Place, and Ann Street in Stockbridge, part of a property development scheme he hoped would sort out his financial worries following a bankruptcy. Visitors can then walk around these locations themselves, as the map is also available in a takeaway leaflet.

The exhibition has been innovative for its focus on developing staff and volunteer skills. ‘Our goal has been to increase opportunities for learning as we develop projects like this,’ explained Conservator Lesley Scott. ‘Employees and volunteers at the Georgian House were invited to take part in workshops on stabilising and cleaning frames, which was necessary for displaying the engraved prints. By upskilling our teams, allowing them to understand how materials age and learn methods for preservation, we are investing in future collections care in line with our strategic engagement objectives.’