William Crawford

Who is William Crawford?

William Crawford, a Scotch portrait and genre painter, was a native of Ayr. His father placed him at the Trustees' Academy, under Sir William Allan, where he gained a travelling bursary, which enabled him to study in Rome for about two years. On his return he conducted the drawing classes of the Trustees' Academy for several years, and also occasionally contributed art criticisms to Edinburgh newspapers. His crayon portraits, of which a good many were exhibited at the Royal Academy in London, were much sought after. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1862. Among his genre paintings we may mention his 'Highland Keeper's Daughter', 'Waiting for the Ferry,' 'Return from Maying,' and 'Too Late,' a striking picture exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1869, in which year he died.