Bonnar, William, RSA
1800 – 1853
Bonnar was one of those who joined the Academy as a full Academician as a result of the Hope-Cockburn Settlement, in 1829. He was not accorded an official Obituary in the RSA Annual Report however his passing was referenced as follows in the RSA Annual Report of 1853; "Alas! how many, and how endeared to their brethren and to Art— for not to go back beyond the events of the last few years, there are in the mournful list of the departed the names of Duncan, Scott, Allan, and latterly of Bonnar, who died after a short illness in January, having given to the last continued evidence of progress in his profession ; and during his whole career, of modesty, probity, and worth. The vacancy caused in the list of the Academicians by Mr. Bonnar’s decease, will, in terms of the laws, be filled up at the General Meeting in February next." His Obituary notice in 'The Edinburgh News and Literary Chronicle' of 1853-02-12 gives a very full account of his life. The early death of Bonnar's father, a house-painter, saw him apprenticed at a younger age than normal to Mr Dickson, a celebrated chair-painter amongst whose journeyman was Alexander McDougall 'Scotland's greatest ornamental painter and draughtsman' who enjoyed a local reputation in his day but squandered his talents. Dickson was forced to close his business owing to failing eyesight and Bonnar was transferred to Mr Dennison then considered the finest ornamental house-painter in Edinburgh, under whom he completed his apprenticeship. On Dennison's retiral his business was taken over by another former apprentice Mr Cleland who retained Bonnar's services and appointed him foreman . It was whilst under Dennison that Bonnar was given the job of painting the sign board for a public house in Hanover Street. The enterprise failed shortly thereafter and the signboard, which depicted Tam O'Shanter crossing the bridge, was acquired by a connoisseur as a cabinet picture. Having established a local reputation, in 1822 on the Royal Visit of King George IV, Bonnar assisted David Roberts, then scene painter at the Theatre Royal, in the decoration of the Assembly Rooms for the grand State ball. Bonnar in time succeeded Roberts at the Theatre Royal now under the management of Mr Murray. His evenings were spent on his painting, examples of which were displayed in Dennison's window. One of these was a portrait head, being the preparatory study for another public house signboard; The John of Groats. This was noticed by Captain Basil Hall of Dunglass who sought a meeting with Bonnar at the Theatre Royal, purchased the portrait study, and encouraged the young artist in which classes of subject to concentrate on. He was engaged to decorate the proscenium at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow and on his return to Edinburgh set himself up as a house painter from a shop in Rose Street. His Obituarist noted that "While the 'Association for the Promotion of the Fine Arts' were squandering the people's money in hundreds of pound sterling on landscapes which would not have dignified the centre of a tea tray, they insulted Bonnar, as they have since done other real artists, by offering him about half the sum he received from a private purchaser for his greatest pictures." His first major public success came at the 1824 Exhibition at Waterloo Place of his painting 'The Tinkers.' His lack of formal fine art training left his pictures "good" rather than "great" but he enjoyed popular appeal with many of his works being engraved. Bonnar was pre-deceased by his 28 year old son and namesake, William Bonnar jnr who practised as a Portrait painter and who died at his father's house, London Street, Edinburgh on 1850-09-18 having come home from Demerara where he had settled to better his health and enjoyed the patronage of the Lieutenant-Governor, the Chief Justice, and other officials. Bonnar jnr received the first rudiments of his artistic training from his father but originally trained as an engraver and was a pupil under Sir William Allan a the Trustees Academy. His early reputation was made on the etchings he made after his father's paintings of, amongst others, Drs Chalmers, Welsh, Candlish and others of the Free Church. On the back of the favourable reception of his portraits of the high officers in Jamaica, he planned to create a series of cabinet portraits of the Governors of the British settlements which would be engraved by another brother back in Edinburgh but his early death meant this was never effected.
