William Allan was born in Edinburgh in 1782. He was the son of William Allan, who held the office of macer in the Court of Session. Young William was educated at the High School of Edinburgh, where he could make neither head nor tail of Latin or Greek and spent much of his time sketching his classmates and producing chalk drawings on the floor of the class-room.  At the inevitable confrontation with his father, he avowed: ‘Father, in spite of all this spending of money in learning Latin, I will be a painter’. He was then apprenticed to a coach-builder in Leith Walk, to paint the armorial bearings on the panels of carriages. At the age of not more than 13, such was his talent, he was employed in the task of painting certain anatomical preparations at Surgeon’s Square Hall. On one occasion, he was locked in and was compelled to spend the hours of darkness amidst the skeletons. He was then sponsored by his employer to enter the Trustees’ Academy, where he was a pupil for several years. David Wilkie was his contemporary and became his lifelong friend. In his later years, Allan was wont, while training his scholars, to refer to his illustrious fellow-pupil, as their best model and example. Allan went to London, and was admitted to the Royal Academy Schools. Unsurprisingly, given the strength of the competition, he found it difficult to make his way in London without patron or sponsor. He then resolved to earn his living among his countrymen in St Petersburg, centre of the arts in Russia. After a storm-tossed voyage, his ship was driven into the Prussian port of Memel, where he settled himself at an inn and commenced the occupation of portrait painter. His first sitter was the Danish consul, to whom he was introduced by the captain of the vessel that brought him. Other sitters followed and having thus replenished his purse, he resumed his journey, passing through the body of the Russian army, on its way to be massacred by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz. At St Petersburg, he found a patron in his countryman Sir Alexander Crichton, physician to the Romanov imperial family, who introduced him to the fashionable circles of society, where his artistic talents were appreciated and his opportunity improved. He then spent several years painting in the Ukraine. He also made occasional journeys to Turkey and Tartary. In Poland, such was his reputation, he was called ‘le Raphael Ecossais’ – ‘the Scottish Raphael’. With the coming of peace in 1814, he arrived back in his homeland and set to work. He had not wasted his time on the Steppe. In 1815 he exhibited his Circassian Captives at Somerset House and followed that with The Tartar Banditti; Haslan Gherai crossing the Kuban; A Jewish Wedding in Poland; and Prisoners conveyed to Siberia by Cossacks. For added authenticity, he also exhibited the costumes and weapons of the countries by which his paintings were illustrated. The exotic themes in his work had never been encountered before and they brought him much attention. Sir Walter Scott, John Lockhart, John Wilson and the Earl of Wemyss all competed for his works. Although pressed for portraits, Allan determined that he would be a painter of history. He then set to work with a will and produced The Slave Market at Constantinople; John Knox admonishing Mary, Queen of Scots; The Meeting of David Deans with his Daughter Jeannie at Roseneath; The Regent Murray Shot by Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh; The Murder of David Rizzio; The Fair Maid of Perth; The Battle of Prestonpans and many other historical works. His pictures were widely engraved. Allan suffered from recurring ill-heath and on medical advice travelled to Italy, visited Constantinople, Asia Minor, and Greece, and returned home. He was elected ARA in 1825 and RA in 1835. In 1834 he visited Spain and Western Barbary. He then travelled to Belgium to research both events and the battlefield of Waterloo. The result was exhibited at the RA in 1843 and purchased by the Duke of Wellington, who testified his approbation of its truth and accuracy. In 1844 Allan returned to Russia, where his work was eagerly snapped up by the Romanovs. He painted another depiction of Waterloo (from the French viewpoint), entering it unsuccessfully for the competition of Westminster Hall. It was purchased by the Junior United Service Club in London. In 1839 he was unanimously preferred to the office of President of the Royal Scottish Academy. In 1842, after having been appointed her Majesty’s Limner for Scotland upon the death of Wilkie, he was knighted. His last great work was The Battle of Bannockburn. Sir William died at his house in Great King Street, Edinburgh on 23 February 1850. His painting of A Circassian Chief may be seen above.