Old Bowhead, Lawnmarket

Victorian Watercolour of Old Bowhead and Lawnmarket, Edinburgh, c.1890

A charming Victorian watercolour depicting Old Bowhead and the Lawnmarket, Edinburgh, one of the most characterful and historically evocative views in the city’s Old Town. The composition looks from the head of the West Bow into the Lawnmarket, with tall tenements, irregular rooflines and small passing figures combining to create a lively and atmospheric impression of old Edinburgh.

The work appears to be based on the well-known 19th-century illustration of the same subject published in John Parker Lawson’s Scotland Delineated, a celebrated series of Scottish views issued between 1847 and 1854. Rather than being a print from that publication, this is best understood as a later original watercolour interpretation after that admired topographical design. That connection gives the piece added interest, linking it to one of the best-known published images of this part of Edinburgh.

The subject has enduring appeal. The dramatic descent of the West Bow, the dense historic architecture and the sense of everyday street life all contribute to its charm, while the hand-painted treatment gives the scene a warmth and immediacy distinct from the printed source. It sits comfortably within the Victorian taste for picturesque urban views and remains highly decorative today.

Unattributed, but full of period character, this is an appealing piece for collectors of Scottish art, Edinburgh views and 19th-century watercolours. Presented in an elegant glazed frame with gilt outer and inner borders, a black middle moulding and a cream mount, it is ready to hang and display.

Details
Medium: Watercolour on paper
Artist: Unattributed
Title: Old Bowhead and Lawnmarket, Edinburgh
Image Size: 12.5 × 22.5 cm
Framed Size: 35 × 38 cm
Date: c.1890
Condition: Overall good condition, with light age-related wear and some toning visible to the mount, as shown
Frame: Glazed frame with gilt outer and inner borders, black middle moulding and cream mount. Ready to hang

This is a genuine one-of-a-kind original artwork, not a print or reproduction.