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Life Study - seated female nude

Artist: McTaggart, William, RSA · 1835-1910

Life Study - seated female nude

This is one of about a dozen surviving life studies in oil made by McTaggart whilst he was a student under Robert Scott Lauder at the Trustees'…

This is one of about a dozen surviving life studies in oil made by McTaggart whilst he was a student under Robert Scott Lauder at the Trustees' Academy in Edinburgh.

It was painted during a short period when the RSA School of the Living Model was in temporary abeyance and would have been executed in the former Royal Institution Building on The Mound, in which the classes of the Trustees' Academy were held.

At the time that it was painted the RSA had just taken up occupancy of the East wing of the newly erected shared RSA-NGS Building adjacent (the present NGS Building).

The study carries, pasted to the surface of the picture as was the practise, a handwritten [?by Lauder] paper label which indicates that it was awarded Third Prize in 1855.

The prize giving took place on Thursday 12 July 1855 in the new shared RSA-NGS Building, with Sir John Watson Gordon PRSA, William Brodie RSA and John Steele RSA in attendance.

The Scotsman reporting on proceedings the following day recorded;
"Mr R. S. Lauder then read his report on the Antique and Life Departments. The number of students attending the classes in these departments is 78; the attendance on the class of painting and drawing from the living model being more numerous than it ever was, and their progress has been most satisfactory.

Sir W. Gibson-Craig then distributed the prizes as follows:- ARCHITECTURAL AND ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. Drawings from the Flat-1st prize, James Seton; 2d, John Proctor; 3d, Ebenezer Roxburgh; 4th, John McCulloch. Drawings from the Round-1st, Henry Lawrence; 2d, George Aitken; 3d, Alex. Westwood. Honourable mention of Douglas Duke. Shaded Drawings in Chalk-1st prize, Walter Smith; 2d, Wm. Miller. In Water Colour and Tempera - Robert Bruce. Drawings from Flowers - George Nelson. Perspective Drawings-1st prize, David Robertson; 2d, Alex. Kirkwood. Class of Composition, 1st prize, Robert Anderson; 2d, Samuel Hunter; 3d, John Smart. Practical Class of Architecture, 1st prize, Robert Anderson; 2d, Walter Turbett. FEMALE CLASSES. Pupil Teachers, 1st prize, Rachel Clinkscales; 2d, Helen Hay Peffers. Amateurs, 1st prize, Joanna Anderson ; 2d, Helen Lauder; extra, Flora McDonald. ANTIQUE DEPARTMENT. Drawing from the Round,1st prize, Alex. Lauder; 2d, William McTaggart; 3d, Peter Graham; 4th, Hugh Cameron ; 5th, George Chalmers ; 6th, George McCulloch. Painting, Life Academy,1st prize, Alex. Burr; 2d, Hugh Cameron; 3d, William McTaggart. Models from the Antique, 1st prize, John Hutchinson; 2d, Robert Sanderson. THE KEITH PRIZE. The Keith prize, amounting this year to £14.11/2d, was awarded to Alexander Lauder by the unanimous vote of the Council of the Royal Scottish Academy. The Academy's medal in bronze was added to the prize as an extra reward for Mr Lauder's industry and attention."

At the same proceedings, the Annual Report by Alexander Christie, Director of the Trustees' Academy's Department of Architecture and Ornament stated that the number of students who had attended the classes daring the past session (1854-55) was 314, an increase of 162 on the previous year; in addition to which there had been a further 11 applications for admission which they had been unable to find room for. Of these students 49 were artists (15 painters, 4 sculptors, and 27 architects and engineers). The other 170 were artisans, engaged in the following occupations; house painters (11); Ornamental-painters (2); general engravers (9); picture engravers (5); wood-engravers (7); ornamental- engravers (3) lithographers (1); draughtsmen (3); seal engravers (2); die, stamp, and punch-cutters (3); wood carvers (15); glass-stainers (6); brass- founders (2); coach painters (3); upholsterers (5); joiners and cabinetmakers (8); marble-cutters (1); mechanical engineers (1); jewellers (3); clock-makers (1); stone carvers (1); miscellaneous (28); pupil-teachers (29); School masters (11) - making a total of 219 attending the male classes; while the female classes were attended by 95; 17 schoolmistresses, 36 pupil teachers, and 42 amateurs.

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