Over the last few decades, the Davidson family has generously gifted a significant portion of its collection of works by late 19th and early 20th century Scottish artists to The Hunterian.
William Davidson (1861–1945) and his wife, Jean Steel Reid (1866–1945) originally built the collection. At their death, it numbered over 80 framed paintings and works on paper.
Their granddaughters, Winifred and Margaret, have left over 40 paintings and drawings from this collection to The Hunterian.
Anne Dulau Beveridge, Curator of Art at The Hunterian, tells us more about the collectors and these significant additions to The Hunterian’s collection of Scottish Art.
First of all, I would like to express how grateful the University is to Winifred – a nurse by profession – and Margaret – a teacher at King Edward VI High School for Girls – for entrusting The Hunterian with the works of art they inherited from their family.
Of great value in their own right, they also add unique context to the Mackintosh collection. They provide a precious glimpse into the tastes and patronage activities of a couple dedicated to supporting contemporary Scottish art in the first few decades of the 20th century.
A 60th birthday present?
The first work I would like to highlight is a portrait of William Davidson. His sons, Hamish and Cameron, commissioned it as a present to their father in 1929–30. This happened to be the year of his 60th birthday.
It’s the subject of some correspondence, now kept in Archives and Special Collections at the University of Glasgow. The painting took a while to complete, partly because the sitter was rarely available for sittings.
The author of the portrait is William Somerville Shanks. Like Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Shanks had taken evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art in the late 1880s. He then went on to Paris to study at the Academy Julian in the early 1890s.
On returning to Scotland, the artist’s talent gained recognition, becoming an exponent of the late Glasgow style. He started to build a reputation for his still lifes (see GLAHA:44051), interiors and portraits (see GLAHA:44218). His work was distinguished by a fine sense of colour and their tonal qualities.
A teacher at Glasgow School of Art, Shanks lived at 8 Parkgrove Terrace in Glasgow when commissioned to paint the portrait of William Davidson.
This was around a 15-minute walk from the Mackintoshes’ former Glasgow home, which the Davidson family bought in 1920. This is where the Davidson family lived until William and Jean passed away in 1945.
Shanks was highly considered as a portrait painter. Indeed, the family thought his portrait of William Davidson “a great success”. It found its place in William and Jean’s home. This was above the sideboard in the dining room, originally designed and furnished by Mackintosh.
A striking image, it relies on a powerful use of strong contrasts and colours. It is a sophisticated composition, enhanced by the presence of a decorative dish with carp in the background.
When imagining the portrait within the setting of the Mackintosh House dining room, I can’t help wondering whether Shanks had this very room in mind when coming up with his composition.
Its play on strong contrasts within a limited colour range dominated by darker tones matches the sophisticated mood Mackintosh created.
Joining numerous photographs of William Davidson already in The Hunterian collection, it gives us a glimpse of the man’s personality. He was described by his contemporaries as a cultured, reserved, loyal friend, a talented musician and a keen amateur photographer.
A glimpse into early 20th century Scottish avant-garde
William and Jean’s granddaughters, Winifred and Margaret, have left over 40 paintings and drawings by early 20th century Scottish artists, mostly collected by their grandparents, to The Hunterian.
Together, they’re a tangible reminder of William, Jean and their family’s support not just of Margaret Macdonald and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, but also of several of their contemporaries.
The two sisters’ significant gifts and bequests have ensured that the portion of their grandparents’ painting collection they inherited is now re-united with the exceptional Davidson holding of works by the Mackintoshes.
Overall, the artists who caught the eye of William and Jean were often acquaintances and in some instances friends. Many of these highly-regarded ex-students of the Glasgow School of Art benefitted from the support of its director, Francis H Newberry.
Newberry was a leading figure in British art and design in the late 19th and early 20th century. He was on friendly terms with the Davidsons. The artists they collected tended to be among the Scottish artists acknowledged as talented exponents of the Glasgow style, and of modern Scottish art, at home and abroad.
In a letter now in Archives and Special Collections at the University of Glasgow, Cameron (Margaret and Winifred’s uncle) wrote of his father:
“As regards individual artists, the two who I think he helped most, in addition to C.R. Mackintosh, were Hornel and Pringle, from both of whom he purchased several pictures. He also knew many others and he was a well-known member of the Glasgow Art Club… He was immensely interested in all forms of artistic expression, architecture, painting, engraving, photography, etc., as well as literature and music, and he collected pictures primarily for the pleasure they gave him.”
Collecting and displaying
According to a valuation of the collection (part of the same archive) written in 1945, many of these works appeared in their home, among the Mackintoshes interiors.
Reading through the list of pictures hung in the dining room, the entrance hall, the staircase, the drawing room and some of the bedrooms (interestingly the main bedroom does not seem to have had any pictures), it is difficult somehow to visualise the impact the paintings and drawings would have had on the restrained, elegant interiors of the Mackintosh House.
Tui Russell, Curatorial Assistant at The Hunterian, spent some time extracting information from receipts for paintings acquired by William Davidson. The receipts show that the purchasing of many works took place between 1918 and 1935.
Purchases happened at well-known auction houses of the time. They include J & R Edmiston and Wylie and Lochhead, or picture dealers such as Alex Reid and T & R Annan.
William Davidson, who was a member of the Glasgow Art Club, also bought at annual exhibitions of his club, and of the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Art. From 1932, he seems to have almost exclusively bought through the art dealer Ian McNicol.
Perhaps this was partly because pressure on his time meant he could not regularly attend auctions, and partly because Ian McNicol seems to have excelled at understanding what his clients were after.
I hope I’ve highlighted how crucial the Davidson family have been in the developing The Hunterian representation of Scottish art over the last 100 years.
Margaret and Winifred’s gifts and bequests are a tangible reminder of William, Jean and their family’s support to Margaret Macdonald and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, but also of several of their contemporaries.
They highlight the achievements of early 20th century Scottish artists, but they also provide a glimpse into one of the most interesting collections gathered by a Glasgow collector in the early decades of the 20th century.
For more on the different artwork in the Davidson collection – from works by the Mackintoshes to the Glasgow Boys and Girls – explore The Hunterian blog!
