Edwin Douglas (1848 - 1914)

Edwin Douglas

Edwin James Douglas was a British animal painter.

Edwin was the son of the famous portrait painter James Douglas, studied at the Royal Scottish Academy schools and exhibited his first works at the Royal Scottish Academy at the age of only 17. Edwin Douglas painted hunting scenes, dogs and horses, which attracted many famous patrons, including Sir Charles Tennant and Queen Victoria. She even purchased a painting of setters as a birthday present for King Edward VII.

Douglas was a very successful artist whose animal paintings, like those of his predecessor Landseer, resonated with Victorian collectors. He was best at dogs and horses, but he also painted portraits and genre pictures. Between 1869 and 1900 he exhibited at the Royal Academy, forty-one works in all, at the Royal Scottish Academy and other venues in London and the provinces. In addition to painting, Douglas had a passion for cattle breeding and was elected an honorary life member of the Jersey Cattle Society of England.