William Bell Scott was born in Edinburgh on 12 September 1811, into a family in which art was both a livelihood and an atmosphere. He was the eldest surviving son of Robert Scott, an engraver of considerable skill and a man of strong intellectual interests, and Ross Bell Scott. The household was not wealthy, but it was rich in artistic ambition, professional discipline, books, conversation, and the practical awarenes…
“For myself, I wanted external qualifications for being lucky: introspection was my pleasure and my curse; action was hated by me; I was an absentee, a somnambule, and gave myself much to subjects no one else cared for.”
Neighbourhood:
Pre-Raphaelite Poets, Scottish Poets, Victorian Poets
Emotional landscape: Longing, Wonder, Spirituality
On the eastern coast of Scotland, where the North Sea meets the fertile lands of Angus, stands the House of Dun—a Georgian mansion that witnessed the birth of one of Scotland's most distinctive literary voices. It was here, on 1 September 1863, that Violet Augusta Mary Frederica Kennedy-Erskine entered the world, destined to become the poet and novelist who would capture the very essence of Scottish rural life in ver…
“I cannot say how kind I think it of you to write. You tell me that there are countrymen of mine who will regard the honour done by Edinburgh University as a personal honour to themselves.”
Neighbourhood:
Folk & Ballad Poets, Scottish Poets, Women Poets
Emotional landscape: Longing, Wonder, Tenderness
