William Leighton Leitch (1804-83)
A distant view of Dunkeld c. 1844
Pencil, watercolour and bodycolour | 25.2 x 36.8 cm (whole object) | RCIN 919665
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A watercolour depicting a distant view of Dunkeld, with the town, river, bridge and cathedral seen from above Dunkeld House; in the foreground is a woman seated with a dog.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made their first visit to Scotland in September 1842. The royal tour, which lasted two weeks, was largely organised by the 5th Duke of Buccleuch, Lord Lieutenant of the County of Midlothian and Gold Stick of Scotland, and his wife Charlotte, who was Queen Victoria's Mistress of the Robes, in conjunction with the Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel. Victoria and Albert had lunch at Dunkeld House with Lord Glenlyon on 7th September, on their way from Scone Palace to Taymouth Castle. The Queen described Dunkeld House in her journal as being “beautifully situated, quite in a valley, on the banks of the Tay". During their lunch they were entertained by pipers and a member of Lord Glenlyon's Highlander Guards performing a sword dance.
This watercolour may be part of a series commissioned by the 5th Duke of Buccleuch to present to Victoria and Albert as a souvenir of their first visit to Scotland. The artist, William Leighton Leitch, taught the Duchess of Buccleuch watercolour painting, and from 1846 would be Queen Victoria’s own tutor for almost twenty years. However, the watercolours of the 1842 Scottish tour, which were painted in 1844, were not presented to Victoria at the time; she did not receive them until 1888, when the Duke's daughter-in-law Louisa sent them to her in a leather portfolio entitled 'Sketches in Scotland by William Leitch 1842'.Provenance
Possibly commissioned by the 5th Duke of Buccleuch and then presented to Queen Victoria in 1888
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Creator(s)
Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Pencil, watercolour and bodycolour
Measurements
25.2 x 36.8 cm (whole object)
Other number(s)
RL 19665