Portrait Of Captain James Forbes-Drummond, R.N., Of Hawthornden 

Curator: Oh, look! Before us hangs Raeburn's "Portrait of Captain James Forbes-Drummond, R.N., of Hawthornden." Those somber tones almost swallow the poor fellow, don't they? Editor: Indeed, but swallowed in a rather majestic way, if you ask me! There is something immediately commanding and stable about it. I would also mention his dress code, of course. You cannot underestimate the role of uniform when talking about military leaders; uniforms, badges, and decorations contribute to making them who they are, as representatives and embodiments of political and institutional authority. Curator: You know, it’s interesting, isn’t it? How clothing signifies power? I can feel both respect and something rather melancholy radiating from him, even without knowing his specific deeds. There’s an inherent human drama, despite his upright posture and piercing gaze. Do you think Raeburn tried to evoke that purposefully? Editor: I would certainly argue that a great deal of thought went into this, beyond the personal drama we can speculate about. Raeburn had a solid business painting Scottish gentry during a very turbulent period. Showing such a decorated man as self-possessed, yet approachable, did well for both his subject’s and his own reputation. Curator: That’s so true, and that gets me thinking about our connection to the sea... perhaps Forbes-Drummond weathered many literal and metaphorical storms. He does have kind eyes, almost begging for you to trust him to lead you out of one... The play of light and shadow, and those dashing epaulettes really make him pop! Editor: Well, those epaulettes denote naval rank. They, along with his buttons, connect Forbes-Drummond to Britain’s broader maritime power, and its vast colonial project during this time... It is very easy for paintings like these to turn into romanticized propaganda. How can one represent a man beyond or outside of this context, one might ask. Curator: That’s the real dilemma, isn't it? Striking the right balance is the real trick, if one wants to capture truth, especially of somebody of stature... Perhaps Raeburn succeeded there more than he even knew. A sea of questions really does lurk beneath those buttoned depths, doesn’t it? Editor: A vast sea indeed! An era defined as much by conflict as by enlightenment, and our captain here a fascinating, stoic navigator right in the thick of it all.