Alexander Bonar of Ratho (1750 – 1820), Sir Henry Raeburn
Earlier this year, the Stirling Smith received an important bequest of a Raeburn portrait from the late Bruce Ritchie of Allan Park. Sir Henry Raeburn was the foremost Scottish portrait painter of his time, and this is the first Raeburn portrait to come into the Smith collections. The subject of
Celebrating Bannockburn
The 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, 23-24 June 1314, is now less than a year away. Pictured here is a flower covered car from the 600th anniversary in 1914, one of a series of photos in the Smith’s collection showing the great pageant procession through Stirling, from King’s
Unveiling the Raeburn
The Smith’s first portrait by Sir Henry Raeburn, a bequest by the late Bruce Ritchie of Allan Park, was unveiled by the Right Honourable Sir George Reid. The event marked the end of the building contract to renew the roof of the Smith. Sir George pointed out that the subject,
Margaret Shirra and Son
We know little of the details of this mother and child portrait, which is in the Smith collections and is currently on show in the Stirling Heads Exhibition. Margaret Shirra (nee Low) was the wife of James Shirra (1812-1888), a Stirling draper. The portrait was painted by Stirling-born artist Sir
Childhood Past – Edwardian Stirling
This drawing comes from a handful of letters, written by Dick Partridge of Forthside House, Stirling, for two little girls, Janet and Marion Wilson, who lived in King’s Park. His poem about Pat’s Hat is told and illustrated in alternate letters written in January and February 1900 and intended to
Dunblane Doll’s House, 1940
Shown here is a detail of the Nursery, one of the many rooms in the Dunblane Doll House. Each of the pieces is functional, as well as beautifully detailed. The Nursery has its own Doll’s House (on the left), a rocking horse which rocks, a bed, cot, and tea table.
Wolf’s Tooth Baby Rattle
After two years in Spittal Street, the internationally important Neish Collection of British Pewter will be displayed in the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, later this year. Shown here is a small item from it, a baby rattle dating to the 1540s. The rattle opens into a ball shape
North Sea Oil
Why does the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum have two sample bottles of North Sea Oil, when Stirling is quite a distance away from the North Sea? As always, the answer lies in Stirling’s geography, right at the heart of Scotland, and a crossing point of all major roads.
Burgh Officer’s Uniform
Kenneth Derrick, pictured here, was the last Stirling Council Officer, 1974-1996, to wear the traditional uniform, which he has donated recently to the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum. With this uniform, he was part of a long tradition, beginning in July 1607 when the Burgh of Stirling decided that