Family silhouette

A survival from the nursery – this picture was snipped by the celebrated silhouettist Auguste Edouard shortly before he sailed to New York to make his fortune.

We see Robert Wardlaw Ramsay seated at a desk, hearing Balcarres repeat the lesson he learnt that morning, while the youngest boy John stands looking at his mother, Lady Anne. Their second son, Robert, is leaning on the chair-back; we can see that he was a tall, well-built young man.
To the left of the picture we see two figures – Mrs Martin and William. These silhouettes are slightly smaller scale, suggesting they were added later, probably after William’s return from Italy. This family group is a poignant record of a brief period before tragedy struck.
It remained in the family, and was donated to the Scottish Portrait Gallery as a splendid example of Edouard’s skill. The background of an Edinburgh drawing room may represent the actual space, but is probably a stock background. The temple-like structure glimpsed through the window may represent the Old Royal High School.

The Wardlaw Ramsays worshipped in the Charlotte Chapel; Robert was such a generous supporter that the parishioners paid for his portrait in marble to be carved and displayed inside the church. This bust is now lost – please get in touch if you know where it is!