'The Last of the Clan'

'The Last of the Clan'

ID: PC_GLENGARRY_EMIGRATION3_02 DESCRIPTION: ‘The Last of the Clan’ is the best known painting by the Scottish artist Thomas Faed (1826 – 1900). It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1865 and now hangs in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow. When it was exhibited, included in the catalogue was a paragraph possibly written by Faed himself: ‘When the steamer had slowly backed out, and John MacAlpine had thrown off the hawser, we began to feel that our once powerful clan was now represented by a feeble old man and his granddaughter, who, together with some outlying kith-and-kin, myself among the number, owned not a single blade of grass in the glen that was once all our own.’ Faed produced many fine narrative paintings, several on the subject of the Clearances and the resulting emigrations. This one is unusual because it shows those left behind on the quayside, watching the ship as it departs. As well as capturing the emotional impact of the lamenting group and the end of their way of life, Faed has also presented a technically accomplished work, as can be seen in the texture and detail of the various objects and materials within the frame, which include fabrics, pottery, glass, a pheasant carcass, metal, wood, seaweed, shells, straw and rope. PERIOD: 1860s SOURCE: Glengarry Heritage Centre COLLECTION: Glengarry Heritage Centre Asset ID: 49146 KEYWORDS: