Artist. The son of a parish minister, he showed an interest in art at an early age. Following his education, his father allowed him to take up the occupation of an artist in 1799. Soon afterwards, he received an admission to the Trustees' Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland and began studying art. In 1804 he left the Academy and returned to his home where he established himself as an artist, making sketches and paintings of family members and neighbors, and produced his first noted work, "Pitlessie Fair." The following year, he travelled to London, England and enrolled in the Royal Academy of Arts. In 1806 his "Village of Politicians" received considerable attention when it was exhibited at the Royal Academy, followed in 1807 with his "The Blind Fiddler." In November 1809 he was elected an associate of the Royal Academy and two years later he became a full Academician. His next notable work was "The Village Holiday" (1811), followed by "Blind Man's Bluff" (1812), "Letter of Introduction" (1813), "The Chelsea Pensioners Reading the Waterloo Dispatch" (1816, commissioned by the Duke of Wellington), "The Penny Wedding" (1818), and "Reading the Will" (1820). In 1822 he travelled to Edinburgh, Scotland where he began a portrait of British King George IV who was visiting Scotland at the time. However, the portrait, which depicted the King in Scottish attire, would not be completed until 1829 as his health began to suffer due to heavy domestic trials and responsibilities. In 1825 he decided to travel to Europe in an effort to relieve his stress, visiting France, Spain, Switzerland, and Italy before returning to England in 1828. During this time, his painting style was heavily influenced by the Italian artists. In 1830 he succeeded Sir Thomas Lawrence as painter in ordinary to the British King William IV and was knighted six years later. During this decade, his most noted paintings include "Columbus in the Convent at La Rabida" (1835), "Napoleon and Pius VII at Fontainebleau" (1836), "Empress Josephine and the Fortune-Teller" (1837), "Queen Victoria Presiding at the First Council" (1838), and "General Sir David Baird Discovering the Body of Sultan Tippo Sahib" (1839). In 1840 he traveled to the Mideast where he became engaged in various portrait paintings. On the return voyage, he became ill at Malta and died near Gibraltar at the age of 55 and was buried as sea. A memorial in his honor was erected by his sister at the Cults Kirk Parish Church in Aberdeen, Scotland.