Sir Henry Raeburn (born March 1756) was a painter from Scotland. He was also an important member of Edinburgh society from the late 18th-century to early 19th-century. In 1775 he studied briefly with an Edinburgh portrait painter after he had apprenticed a goldsmith. He soon began his own work by doing miniature paintings and then progressed to full-scale portraits. His 1776 portrait of George Chalmers suggested his lack of formal training, but by the late 1790s his skill had improved immensely and he produced a portrait of Sir John Sinclair which became his most famous work in 1794.
In 1812, Raeburn was elected president of the Edinburgh Society of Artists, and ten years later he was knighted. In his early twenties, Raeburn was asked to paint a portrait of Anne, the widow of Count James Leslie of Deanhaugh and the daughter of Peter Edgar of Bridgelands. Raeburn had noticed Anne when he was sketching from nature in the fields. Fascinated by the intellectual and handsome young artist, Anne became his wife within a month, bringing Raeburn an ample fortune. This fortune did not affect his industry or his enthusiasm, but rather spurred him on to acquire a thorough knowledge of his craft. Raeburn set off with his wife to London where he was received by the president of the Royal Academy, Sir Joshua Reynolds, who advised him on what to study in Rome, especially recommending to him the works of Michelangelo, and gave Raeburn letters of introduction for Italy - it was usual for artists to visit Italy.
