John Henry Lorimer

1856 - 1936

John Henry Lorimer (1856-1936) was a Scottish artist of sane distinction in his day, whose work has been obscured by the lack of interest - until recently - in paintings of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. This thesis seeks to redress the neglect of time, to record biographical details, and give critical consideration to his work. Lorimer's life fell, broadly, into five main sections, which serve as Chapters for this work: his early life and training in Edinburgh; his 'London period', with travel abroad and study in Paris at the atelier of Carolus-Duran; his 'Paris period' with submissions to Salons and his successes there; his return to Edinburgh in 1901 after election to the RSA, and his artistic activities in the new century; and his later years, still active artistically but less successfully. The final chapter discusses his aims and ambitions and the influences inherent in his work. The thesis considers his artistic development, and brings out his great diversity as a flower painter, portraitist, genre painter and landscapist, and his life long interest in watercolour. His work is set against the background of contemporary artistic development, with particular attention being paid to the French scene where he gained most praise. This research includes the compilation - for the first time - of a Catalogue of the artist's works.