John Henry Lorimer Painting of Young Family at the Scottish Seaside (1930)

This museum-quality painting by the famous Scottish painter, John Henry Lorimer (12 August 1856 – 4 November 1936) was completed in 1930. It is evocative of the seaside near Fife, Scotland, where the Lorimer family owned the renowned Kellie Castle and its surroundings until the Scottish National Trust purchased it in the 1970 upon the demise of Hew and Mary Lorimer, who were the final successors of the Lorimer holdings at Kellie .

From Wikipedia: "Lorrimer was a Scottish painter who worked on portraits and genre scenes of everyday life. Lorimer was born in Edinburgh, the son of James
Lorimer, who was Regius Professor of Public Law at Edinburgh University from 1862 to 1890. He was educated at Edinburgh University and later at the Royal Scottish Academy, being taught by McTaggart and Chalmers. This was followed by a period spent in Paris studying with Carolus-Duran. His younger brother was the renowned architect Robert Lorimer.

Lorimer travelled throughout Spain, Italy and Algiers between 1877 and 1891. He exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy from 1873 and at the Royal Academy from 1878. Significant amongst his works are The Ordination of Elders in a Scottish Kirk, which hangs in the National Gallery of Scotland, A Peaceful Art and Kellie Castle Garden, which was sold at auction in 2000 for £32,900.

In 1878 the Lorimer family acquired the lease of Kellie Castle in Fife and began its restoration for use as a holiday home. This later became the permanent family home, after purchase in 1948 by Robert Lorimer's son, the sculptor Hew Lorimer. The castle is owned today by the National Trust for Scotland who maintain a changing exhibition of his works, plus those of his brother, Robert Lorimer and nephew, Hew Lorimer. John Henry Lorimer died in Edinburgh in 1936.

In the 1930s John Henry Lorimer was vice-president of what was then known as the Edinburgh Astronomical Association and now the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh. Upon his death in 1936 he left a substantial legacy to the society who now award a medal in his honour. The society owns a bust of John Henry and two of his paintings. The bust and both paintings, “Sunlight in the South Room, Kellie” and “The Long Shadows”, are exhibited at Kellie Castle.

The largest room in the castle, used by the Lorimers as the drawing room, is the Great Hall, completed circa 1606. On the west wall are two mirrors with eagle cresting, designed by Sir Robert Lorimer and made by Whytock and Reid of Edinburgh. These mirrors, hanging on either side of the west window, appear to have a magical effect. No matter how far back you go, your image appears to stay the same size."

This sentimental painting is from the last period of Lorimer's artistic career, and evokes a sentiment of beauty, melancholy, and memories of a youthful past that is now gone. But like the sea on the horizon, eternity awaits and who knows where the family might be venturing in the portion of the boat we view in the scene?