Longing

The son of an Edinburgh dentist, James Archer studied art at the School of the Board of Trustees for Manufacturers in Scotland and began exhibiting at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1841. During the first decade of his artistic life, his works were limited to portraits in chalk and it was with two such works that he made his first appearance at the Royal Academy in London in 1854. During the 1850s he diversified his subjects to include both historical and domestic genre scenes before finally settling in 1859 for themes based on ballads, romantic literature and history. The first such work entitled Fair Rosamund and Queen Eleanor was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1859. Two years later Archer completed the first of his famous series of paintings of the Arthurian Legend 'La morte d'Arthur' (Manchester City Art Gallery).

In 1862 Archer left his native Edinburgh and took up permanent residence in London. In 1865 the Art Journal described Archer as 'another of our young artists who is making sure progress', noting that he occupied 'a foremost position among our rising men'. Archer's success in London was secured by his Royal Academy exhibit of 1867 entitled The Time of Charles I - portraits of the children of Mr W. Walkinshaw of Hartley Grange, Hants. This was the first painting of its kind and proved immensely popular and initiated many commissions. Indeed portraits of this kind preoccupied him for the majority of his remaining career and he only managed to return to his favourite romantic and poetical subjects towards the end of his life.