Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1981.25.509
Gallery Label:
As Edinburgh’s preeminent portraitist, Raeburn attracted a clientele ranging from leading intellectual figures to wealthy landowners and their children. This painting was likely commissioned to commemorate McAdam’s inheritance, at ten years old, of the three thousand acres of heaths, pastures, and lochs that made up the extensive Craigengillan estate in southwest Scotland. McAdam is depicted as a miniature adult, his top hat and rider’s whip indicating his prowess in horsemanship and his status as a gentleman. The boy appears at ease in his new role as the head of the family, though he barely had time to enjoy it. He died suddenly in 1827, and the estate was inherited by his sister. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2025