Inscribed on a contemporary label verso, indistinctly dated 1844, oil on board

(28cm x 38cm (11in x 15in))

Charlotte (1804-1884) was the youngest daughter of Alexander Nasmyth. Born and raised amidst the hubbub of her father's York Place art school, she cultivated a painting style more distinct from that of her siblings on account of its freer, more flamboyant handling of paint and vibrant tonal palette. She was possibly the most prolific of her sisters, and appears to have travelled widely within the UK, with pictures recording landscapes across Scotland, Wales and England. Portraits of Charlotte were painted by William Nicholson (1781-1844) and Andrew Geddes (1783-1844), and are now in the collections of the National Galleries of Scotland and the British Museum respectively. Raised in a uniquely artistic and intellectual environment, it is of little surprise that the Nasmyth children understood the principles of drawing and painting. It is remarkable, however, that so many possessed natural artistic talent. Of his eleven children at least eight were gifted artists: his six eldest daughters Jane, Barbara, Margaret, Elizabeth, Anne and Charlotte, and his eldest son Patrick and younger son James. James observed that ‘my father’s object was to render each and every one of his children…independent…accordingly, he sedulously kept up the attention of his daughters to fine art. He set on foot drawing classes…managed by his six daughters, superintended by himself.’ The Nasmyth children benefited from intimate access to their father’s paintings and expansive drawings portfolio, including many early copies of Old Masters made at the Trustees Academy in Edinburgh and Allan Ramsay’s studio. It also contained numerous landscape sketches observed from life, overwhelmingly portraying England and Scotland. Only a few European sketches survive, likely made during Nasmyth’s Italian studies, but charmingly these continental landscapes appear to have been pored over by the Nasmyth children, and can be seen to have inspired passages in their mature paintings. They all went on to paint landscapes almost exclusively, with each adopting a personal interpretation of their father’s style.