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HAY, DAVID RAMSAY (1798–1866), decorative artist and writer on art, was born in Edinburgh in March 1798. His mother, Rebecca Carmichael, a cultivated woman who in 1790 published a volume of ‘Poems’ in Edinburgh, was left entirely destitute on the early death of her husband. David Ramsay, a banker in Edinburgh, and proprietor of the ‘Edinburgh Evening Courant,’ after whom the boy had been named, saw that he received some education, and placed him in a printing-office as a ‘reading-boy.’ The occupation proved uncongenial, and Hay showed an aptitude for drawing, which led to his apprenticeship in his fourteenth year to Gavin Beugo, a heraldic and decorative painter in Edinburgh. A fellow-apprentice, who became a lifelong friend, was David Roberts, afterwards R.A. Hay devoted his spare time to the higher branches of art, and especially to animal painting. Some examples of his work of this class, and some oil copies after Watteau, are still in the possession of his family. He now attracted the attention of Scott, for whom he painted a portrait of a favourite cat, and who recommended him to adopt such a branch of decorative art as house-painting—‘a department of obvious and direct utility, in which the mass of the people are concerned’—rather than the higher walks of the profession. Scott employed him in the decoration of Abbotsford, along with George Nicholson, a partner whom Hay had joined. They were aided, we are informed, by his partner's brother, William Nicholson, afterwards the portrait-painter and R.S.A. About 1828 Hay started in business on his own account, first at 89 and afterwards at 90 George Street, Edinburgh, where he continued for the rest of his life to practise as a most successful house-decorator. Among his more important public works was the decoration of the hall of the Society of Arts, London, executed about 1846. Several of the leading house-decorators in Edinburgh and Glasgow were his pupils, and they founded in memory of their master ‘The Ninety Club,’ named from the number of his place of business in George Street, a society which still holds an annual dinner. He published many elaborate works on the theory and practice of the fine arts, most of them illustrated by his own designs; moved in the most cultivated Edinburgh society of his day; and accumulated a fine collection of pictures and other art objects. He was a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, before whom he read a paper ‘On an Application of the Laws of Numerical Harmonic Ratio to Forms generally, and particularly to that of the Human Figure;’ and Professor Kelland contributed to the same society an ‘Exposition of the Views of D. R. Hay, Esq., on Symmetric Proportion,’ for both of which see ‘Proceedings,’ vol. ii. He was also a founder of the Æsthetic Society, established in Edinburgh in 1851, of which Professors Kelland, Goodsir, and J. Y. Simpson, Dr. John Brown, E. S. Dallas, and Sheriff Gordon were members. Goodsir read before the society two papers ‘On the Natural Principles of Beauty,’ founded on Hay's ‘Geometric Beauty of the Human Figure,’ a work in which the author had been considerably aided by the professor's anatomical knowledge. In 1846 Hay received from the Royal Scottish Society of Arts a silver medal ‘for his machine for drawing the perfect egg-oval or composite ellipses.’ He died in Edinburgh on 10 Sept. 1866. His portrait, a small cabinet work by Sir George Harvey, P.R.S.A., is in the possession of the Royal Scottish Academy, and in 1867 a large series of his ‘educational diagrams, illustrative of his theory of the beautiful and its application to architecture, sculpture, and art production in general,’ was presented to the Board of Manufactures, Edinburgh, by his family and trustees.

His works are: 1. ‘The Laws of Harmonious Colouring adapted to House Painting,’ 1828 (six editions, the latest of which, 1847, is practically a new work). 2. ‘The Natural Principles and Analogy of the Harmony of Form,’ 1842. 3. ‘Proportion, or the Geometric Principle of Beauty analysed,’ 1843. 4. ‘Original Geometrical Diaper Designs, accompanied by an attempt to develop the true Principles of Ornamental Design as applied to the Decorative Arts,’ 1844. 5. ‘A Nomenclature of Colours, Hues, Tints, and Shades applicable to the Arts and Natural Sciences,’ 1845 (2nd edition, 1846). 6. ‘The Principles of Beauty in Colour systematized,’ 1845. 7. ‘First Principles of Symmetrical Beauty,’ 1846. 8. ‘On the Science of those Proportions by which the Human Head and Countenance as represented in works of ancient Greek Art are distinguished from those of ordinary Nature,’ 1849. 9. ‘The Geometric Beauty of the Human Figure defined; to which is prefixed a System of Æsthetic Proportion applicable to Architecture and the other formative Arts,’ 1851. 10. ‘A Letter to Patric Park, Esq., R.S.A., in reply to his Observations upon D. R. Hay's Theory of Proportion. With an Appendix,’ 1851. 11. ‘A Letter to the Council of the Society of Arts on Elementary Education in the Art of Design,’ 1852. 12. ‘The Natural Principles of Beauty as developed in the Human Figure,’ 1852. 13. ‘The Orthographic Beauty of the Parthenon referred to a Law of Nature. To which is prefixed a few Observations on the importance of Æsthetic Science as an Element in Architectural Education,’ 1853. 14. ‘The Harmonic Law of Nature applied to Architectural Design,’ 1855. 15. ‘The Science of Beauty, as developed in Nature and applied in Art,’ 1856.

[Knight's English Encyclopædia, Biography, vol. iii. 1856; Lockhart's Life of Scott, vol. v. ch. xii. 1837; Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, vol. ii.; Turner and Lonsdale's Anatomical Memoirs of John Goodsir, 1868; Minute Book of the Board of Manufactures, Edinburgh; Art Property in possession of Royal Scottish Academy, 1883 (privately printed); Cat. of Advocates' Library, Edinburgh; Ballantine's Life of David Roberts, R.A., 1866; information from family and pupils.]

entry by John Miller Gray in DNB 1885-1900 Vol 2; source https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Hay,_David_Ramsay_(DNB00)

The decorative artist and writer on art David Ramsay Hay was born in Edinburgh in March 1798. After his education, he became a 'reading boy' in a printing-office. Showing a talent for drawing he was apprenticed at the age of fourteen to Gavin Beugo, a heraldic and decorative painter in Edinburgh. David Roberts (1796-1864) who became a life-long friend of Hay was a fellow-apprentice. His spare time was spent developing skills in higher art, particularly the painting of animals, and he attracted the attention of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). Scott recommended that he approach decorative art and house-painting as a profession, and employed him in the decoration of his home at Abbotsford in the Scottish Borders along with George Nicholson and William Nicholson (1781-1844). Around 1828, Hay started his own business in Edinburgh's George Street and became a successful house decorator, winning many public works commissions including the hall of the Society of Arts, London. He was a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and also a founder of the Aesthetic Society established in Edinburgh in 1851. Hay's publications on art include The laws of harmonious colouring adapted to house painting (1828), Proportion, or the Geometric principle of beauty analysed (1843), The principles of beauty in colour systematized (1845), and The geometric beauty of the human figure defined (1851). David Ramsay Hay died in Edinburgh on 10 September 1866.(source Edinburgh University on www.archiveshub.ac.uk citing DNB as principal source of information)

David Ramsay Hay was born in Edinburgh in March 1798 and died there on 10 September 1866. His father died prematurely, leaving the family penniless, but he was provided with something of an education by David Ramsay, a banker in Edinburgh and owner of the Edinburgh Evening Courant. Ramsay, after whom Hay was named, later gave him a job as a ‘reading-boy’ in the printing office of his newspaper. He did not take to this position and instead took up an apprenticeship to Gavin Beugo, a decorative painter in Edinburgh, at the age of fourteen. He displayed quite an aptitude for drawing and, his reputation growing, he assisted in the decoration of Walter Scott's house, Abbotsford. In 1828 he started his own business in Edinburgh as a house-decorator and proved to be successful in what was becoming a popular branch of the decorative arts. Of his many notable commissions, the decoration of the hall of the Society of Arts in London in 1846 was one of which he was particularly proud.

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From The Continuum

(sourced 2016-04-01; http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110810105045960)

DR Hay's papers are held by Edinburgh University (GB 237 Coll-329)

This material is held at Edinburgh University Library

Reference Number(s) GB 237 Coll-329

Dates of Creation 1840-1863

Language of Material English.

Physical Description circa 180 letters in 2 volumes.

Location Dc.2.58-59

Scope and Content

The collection includes the unbound papers of Abstract of an inquiry into the geometrical principles which determine the typical relative position of the more important points in the skeleton and on the surface of the human body, a volume of circa 80 letters between 1840 and 1859, and circa 109 letters from members various correspondents including members of the Aesthetic Society 1849 to 1863.

Other of his papers are held in the Victoria & Albert Museum;

Description:

letters (12) to David Roberts, mainly rel to Scott Monument

Date:

1835-38

Held by:

National Art Library, Victoria & Albert Museum, not available at The National Archives

NRA catalogue reference:

NRA 13466 V & A Museum

and others at the National Library of Scotland;

Reference:

Acc.8729 (click here to view this record in archive's external catalogue)

Description:

corresp with David Roberts

Date:

1829-58

Held by:

National Library of Scotland, Manuscript Collections, not available at The National Archives

Reference:

Acc.8729 (click here to view this record in archive's external catalogue)

Description:

corresp (25 items) with John E Ingpen

Date:

1860-61

Held by:

National Library of Scotland, Manuscript Collections, not available at The National Archives

Other reference:

See Annual report 1974-75 p63

Description:

papers rel to the Parthenon

Date:

1852-60

Held by:

National Library of Scotland, Manuscript Collections, not available at The National Archives

Other reference:

See Accessions to Repositories 1972

Reference:

MS.3521-2 (click here to view this record in archive's external catalogue)

Description:

corresp with David Roberts

Date:

1828-61

Held by:

National Library of Scotland, Manuscript Collections, not available at The National Archives

vide Edinburgh Evening Courant 1829-01-01 notice announcing the dissolution by mutual consent of the co-partnery of Nicholson & Hay, Ornamental and House Painters of 51 George Street, signed by the partners Wm Nicholson, Geo Nicholson and D R Hay. The same notice continues with details of the new businesses which the former partners established; The Nicholsons, under name G Nicholson & Co, continued at 51 George St, whilst Hay set up on his own at 37 George St., both continuing as House and Ornamental Painters.

By 1833 he had established a private art gallery, Hay's Gallery of Modern Art at 89 George St, open to the publi on admission. He was praised as a champion patron of modern scottish artists and by 1835 had purchased 45 important works mostly from the RSA AX (vide contemporary newspaper accounts). All the meetings of the RAPFAS C'ttee were held in his gallery, of which he was Treasurer.