A review of the buildings and people illustrated in the painting and the engraving of “The Parliament Close and Public Characters of Edinburgh fifty years since”.
By John Chalmers.
Painting of Parliament Square. Courtesy of City Art Centre, City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries
Characters in the painting
AND IN LE CONTE’S ENGRAVING
Each of the individuals in the painting is identified from a contemporary key and explored in more detail.
Many of the characters in the painting are also found in Kay’s engravings, such as the Sedan Chairmen, and some feature in the paintings of David Allan, such as the tronmen, or chimney sweeps shown here.
Buildings around the Square
PAST AND PRESENT
The history and architecture of the buildings around the Square is reviewed.
The Story behind the Statues in the Square
AND NEARBY
Each of the current statues and some that are no longer in situ are reviewed in more detail
More content…
Professions and Occupations
The history of the goldsmiths, publishing, banking and watch and clock making are explored, along with leisure activities such as taverns and coffee houses, and clubs and societies… read more.
Development of the Square
Parliament Square, the area shown in the Painting,was originally the town burial ground adjoining St Giles Cathedral. In the fifteenth century the land south of graveyard was largely open ground sloping steeply down to the Cowgate.… read more.
Fires in the Square
Parliament Square suffered three major fires between 1700 and 1824. Robert Chambers, who witnessed the great fire of 1824, published an account of it within a week and included brief references to the numerous recorded fires in Edinburgh from 1385-1824… read more.
The Mystery of the Artists
The oil painting of Parliament Close is undated and unsigned and very little is known about its provenance. The records of the Edinburgh City Art Gallery state that it was acquired in 1948 from the Whitson Bequest, but nothing is known of its previous ownership… read more.
