Sir Walter Scott, 1st Bt (1771-1832), Novelist and poet

Sitter associated with 44 portraits
The Edinburgh-born poet, novelist and critic Scott was an immensely successful writer before turning to the great historical romances for which he is now best known. Works like Waverley (1814) and Rob Roy (1817) had a seminal impact on the creation of Scotland's national identity. A passionate Tory, a proud landowner and a co-founder of the Quarterly Review, with Byron, Scott was among the most popular and commercially successful writers of his age. Although a prolific novelist of great influence, his later years were dogged by the need to pay off the colossal debts incurred by his business partner.