Postcard of a coloured engraving of a portrait of Robert Burns

"Scotland's Bard, Robert Burns. Born 1759. Died 1796."  A coloured lithographic postcard of a likeness of Robert Burns against a classical landscape.   This likeness of Robert Burns is taken from the authentic portrait painted from life by Alexander Nasmyth in 1787. It shows Robert Burns at the age of twenty eight during the year he spent in Edinburgh following the successful publication of the first edition of his poems.   Burns was acclaimed as a poet and became popular in Edinburgh Society. His portrait was commissioned by his publisher, William Creech, to be engraved for the frontispiece of the Edinburgh edition of his work.   It is this picture of Robert Burns, made during his rise to fame, which has endured in the popular imagination. Many published images have been derived from it over the years since his early death. This postcard was written in 1908 in Burns House, Dumfries which was a place of pilgrimage for Burns enthusiasts and already contained a museum in memory of the poet.
Object no :
DMBN048n
Collection :
Creator :
W and A K Johnston Limited, Edinburgh
Place of Production :
NA
Dimensions :
width: 137 mm, length: 88 mm
Materials :
paper
Location :
NA
Related site :
You must enable javascript to view this website