George Paul Chalmers

A carte-de-visite portrait of the Scottish artist George Paul Chalmers (1833-1878), seen here dressed as a monk.

Born at Montrose in 1833, the son of a captain of a coastal vessel, he studied at the Trustees Academy in Edinburgh under Robert Scott Lauder. His portraits of fellow artists earned him the nickname ‘The Angus Rembrandt.’ He also painted the interiors of houses and cottages but later in his career turned to landscapes and seascapes. In 1867 he became an associate of the Royal Scottish Academy, and a full academician in 1871.

In 1878 he was violently mugged in Edinburgh, in South Charlotte Street, and died as a result of his injuries a few days later on 20 February. At the time of his death he was unmarried and living with his widowed mother in Fort Place, Edinburgh. He was buried in Dean Cemetery, where his grave still displays a fine sculpted bust.

Photographed by John Lamb of Aberdeen.