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Dr James Hamilton (1749–1835), Edinburgh Physician

Image credit: Government Art Collection

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Dr James Hamilton, seen here at about the age of 40, was a prominent and well-respected physician in late 18th- and early 19th-century Edinburgh. He worked at the Royal Infirmary, the Trades Maiden Hospital and George Heriot's Hospital, a school which had earlier been attended by Henry Raeburn. Hamilton authored a successful medical text book, 'Observations on the Utility and Administration of Purgative Medicines', first published in 1805, which ran to eight editions. He was known in his later years as one of the last of Edinburgh's residents to wear 18th-century clothing and his three-cornered cocked-hat led to the nickname 'Cocky Hamilton'. Henry Raeburn painted Dr Hamilton three times. The latest portrait, commissioned by the Trades Maiden Hospital, is now in a private collection.

Government Art Collection

London

Title

Dr James Hamilton (1749–1835), Edinburgh Physician

Date

c.1790

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 90 x W 71 cm

Accession number

17618

Acquisition method

purchased from Sotheby's, 2001

Work type

Painting

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Government Art Collection

Old Admiralty Building, Admiralty Place, London, Greater London SW1A 2BL England

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