Smith Art Gallery & Museum | Details | R.B. Cunninghame Graham

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Actions Displays	R.B. Cunninghame Graham Remove from selection Add to selection Reproduction Download mediaDownload as zip file Object number05655 TitleR.B. Cunninghame Graham Creator John Crealock (Artist)‎ DescriptionThe man in this painting is Robert Bontine Cunningham Graham – writer, traveller, politician and a great, if largely unknown, Scot. A lifelong adventurer, whose experiences would not look out of place in a Hollywood movie: gold prospector, friend to Buffalo Bill, socialist MP and one of the fathers of the Scottish Nationalism. Born in 1852 to a wealthy family with estates which included Gartmore in Stirlingshire, Cunningham Graham went to school at Harrow before heading first to Brussels and then to Argentina. He sought adventure - and a fortune, working on the ranches as a goucho, developing a lifelong love of working with horses. He was known as Don Roberto; so well admired there that when he died the whole country mourned him as he lay in state. After the death of his father in 1883 he returned to Britain with his wife (a Chilean poet of French descent who in fact came from Yorkshire) to take over the running of the estate. He wrote books and essays on subjects ranging from poetry to politics, raising vital funds to keep Gartmore afloat. Unusually for someone from such a privileged background, Cunningham Graham was a socialist. He met and listened to William Morris, George Bernard Shaw and Keir Hardie. When he was elected as MP for North West Lanarkshire in 1886 Cunningham Graham spoke out for the rights of workers, for civil liberty and freedom of speech. He was not afraid to get involved – during a protest that became known as Bloody Sunday in 1887, he was arrested and sent to prison for 6 weeks. Cunningham Graham was not cowed – instead, he became more determined, founding the Scottish Labour Party with Keir Hardie. He lost his seat at the election in 1892 but the call of socialism, combined with an increasing belief in nationalism, became ran deep. Having helped establish the National Party of Scotland in 1928, Cunningham Graham went on to become the first president of the newly formed Scottish National Party in 1934. Production date 1908 Object namePainting, Oil Painting Painting MaterialOil/Canvas Dimensions Height: 2050 mm Width: 1105 mm

Reproduction

Download mediaDownload as zip file

Object number05655

TitleR.B. Cunninghame Graham

DescriptionThe man in this painting is Robert Bontine Cunningham Graham – writer, traveller, politician and a great, if largely unknown, Scot. A lifelong adventurer, whose experiences would not look out of place in a Hollywood movie: gold prospector, friend to Buffalo Bill, socialist MP and one of the fathers of the Scottish Nationalism. Born in 1852 to a wealthy family with estates which included Gartmore in Stirlingshire, Cunningham Graham went to school at Harrow before heading first to Brussels and then to Argentina. He sought adventure - and a fortune, working on the ranches as a goucho, developing a lifelong love of working with horses. He was known as Don Roberto; so well admired there that when he died the whole country mourned him as he lay in state. After the death of his father in 1883 he returned to Britain with his wife (a Chilean poet of French descent who in fact came from Yorkshire) to take over the running of the estate. He wrote books and essays on subjects ranging from poetry to politics, raising vital funds to keep Gartmore afloat. Unusually for someone from such a privileged background, Cunningham Graham was a socialist. He met and listened to William Morris, George Bernard Shaw and Keir Hardie. When he was elected as MP for North West Lanarkshire in 1886 Cunningham Graham spoke out for the rights of workers, for civil liberty and freedom of speech. He was not afraid to get involved – during a protest that became known as Bloody Sunday in 1887, he was arrested and sent to prison for 6 weeks. Cunningham Graham was not cowed – instead, he became more determined, founding the Scottish Labour Party with Keir Hardie. He lost his seat at the election in 1892 but the call of socialism, combined with an increasing belief in nationalism, became ran deep. Having helped establish the National Party of Scotland in 1928, Cunningham Graham went on to become the first president of the newly formed Scottish National Party in 1934.

Production date 1908

Object namePainting, Oil Painting

Painting

MaterialOil/Canvas

Dimensions

Height: 2050 mm
Width: 1105 mm