Jemima Blackburn
| Jemima Blackburn | |
|---|---|
Photograph by Alinari of Florence (1852)
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| Born |
1 May 1823 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 9 August 1909 (aged 86) Roshven, Moidart, Scotland |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Known for | Painting |
| Notable work | Birds from Moidart, Birds from Nature |
| Spouse(s) | Hugh Blackburn married 12 June 1849, Edinburgh |
Jemima Wedderburn Blackburn (1 May 1823 – 9 August 1909) was a Scottish painter whose work gives us an evocative picture of rural life in 19th-century Scotland. One of the most popular illustrators in Victorian Britain, she illustrated 27 books. Her greatest ornithological achievement was the second edition of her Birds from Nature (1868). Most of the illustrations are watercolors, with early paintings often including some ink work. A few are collages, in which she cut out a bird’s outline and transferred it to a different background, in a similar manner to John James Audubon. Her many watercolours show daily family life in the late 19th-century Scottish Highlands as well as fantasy scenes from children's fables. She achieved widespread recognition under the initials JB or her married name Mrs Hugh Blackburn.
She was the youngest child of James Wedderburn (circa 1782-1822), Solicitor General for Scotland, who died some months before her birth, and Isabella Clerk, whose family were holders of the baronetcy of Clerk of Penicuik. Her paternal relatives, connected through the Wedderburn baronets, included her great-grandfather Sir John Wedderburn, 5th Baronet of Blackness, executed for his involvement with the Jacobite rising of 1745. The family was attainted and so several of the next generation went to Jamaica, where they grew rich as sugar planters. Two of these sons were John Wedderburn of Ballendean, who eventually reclaimed the family title, and James, Jemima's grandfather. The former was notable for the case brought against him under Scots law by Joseph Knight. The latter fathered Robert Wedderburn, the radical preacher, whom he did not acknowledge; Andrew Colville, governor of the Hudson's Bay Company; Jean, who married Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk; and James, the judge, who was Jemima's father.
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