John Scott's Tavern.
Stockwell Street, Glasgow.
John Scott's Tavern, Stockwell Street. 1819.
A watercolour of Stockwell Street in 1819 by Andrew Donaldson.
This thatched building stood at the southern end of Stockwell Street near the waterfront. The left-hand section of the building housed the tavern of John Scott, described on the sign at the door as a "Vintner and Stabler". The chimney sweep William Girvin occupied the section on the right, advertising "Vents on fire extinguished in the shortest notice". The small trestle table in front of the building was a stall which sold fresh milk, from cows milked on the spot.
Born near Belfast, Donaldson came to Glasgow as a boy. He became a spinner, but an injury damaged his health and he turned to art instead. He worked principally in watercolour's, although he also taught drawing. His earliest works are views of Glasgow and they had a profound influence on the young William Simpson, who wrote that he "looked carefully at Donaldson's pictures, which were often in a shop window in Queen Street, and tried to do something like them at home". Thanks to the Mitchell Library.
End.
