William Bonnar

Who was William Bonnar?

William Bonnar, a painter of portraits, history, and genre, was born at Edinburgh in 1800. His father was a house-painter of considerable skill, and the son, having from his early years evinced a remarkable aptitude for drawing, was apprenticed to one of the leading decorators of the time. When George IV visited Edinburgh in 1822, Bonnar assisted David Roberts in decorating the assembly rooms for the grand state ball which was given in honour of the occasion. Shortly afterwards some signboards painted by him attracted the notice of Captain Basil Hall, who sought out and encouraged the young artist. In the year 1824 his picture of 'The Tinkers ' established him as a favourite with the public, and shortly after the formation of the Royal Scottish Academy he was elected one of the members. Bonnar died at Edinburgh in 1853 and is buried in St Cuthberts kirkyard in Edinburgh. He left behind him many fine pictures, several of which have been engraved. In the Edinburgh Gallery there are his own Portrait and a Portrait of G. M. Kemp, the Architect of the Scott Monument, Edinburgh.