George Aikman ARSA 1831-1905

George Aikman, A.R.S.A., was born in Edinburgh on 20th May 1831. He was educated at the High School and served an apprenticeship with his father, who was a lithographer and engraver. Having a taste for Art, he became a student of the Board of Trustees’ School of Design under Robert Scott Lauder, R.S.A.

In 1850 he exhibited for the first time in the Royal Scottish Academy two works: “Edinburgh Castle” and “A Sketch.” Shortly thereafter he became a constant and liberal contributor to the Annual Exhibition. In 1872 he gave up engraving and devoted himself to painting landscape in Oil and Watercolour and landscape with figures. His subjects were mainly Scottish, but in the midland and northern counties of England he also found material suitable to his taste.

Among his numerous works may be mentioned:- “The Oldest Inhabitant:” 1857; “Cottages at ‘Low-wood, Windermere,” 1860; “On the West Coast,” 1864; “Old Scotch Mint, Linlithgow,” 1873; “Edge of the Corn,” 1876 ; “A Summer’s Day,” 1879; “Launching the Cobble,- Coast of Northumberland,” 1881; “Old Stronghold of the Percys,” 1884; “Disturbing the Peace,” 1885; “After Culloden,” 1887; “Trespassers,” 1889; “Coleshil1, Warwickshire,” 1890; “Late in October,” 1891; “Noontide,” 1896; “Neidpath Castle,” 1899; “Warkworth Castle,” 1900; “Berwick Pier,” 1901; “A Stronghold of the Wolf of Badenoch,” 1903; “Among the Downs,” 1905.

He was elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1880. His death took place at Edinburgh on 8th January.

RSA Obituary, transcribed from 1880 RSA Annual Report