On shore near Raeberry Castle/ Lady Katherine Douglas and Fanny Newdigate in pony carriage, Jemima Wedderburn standing at one side, Hon. Charles…, by Jemima Blackburn (née Wedderburn) (1823-1909). Dated 21st Sept 1844. Watercolour over pencil on paper. 12.20 x 17.00 cm. Scottish National Gallery Of Modern Art, accession number: D 5359.97, purchased 1993. Reproduced by kind permission. Click on the image to enlarge it.
Raeberry Castle was a medieval stronghold on the Kirkcudbrightshire coast in Galloway, but only the clifftop site remains, and it is clear that the young artist's interest was not in the scenery but in the excursion itself, and, more especially, in the three horses. One on the left (one of the gentlemen's mounts) looks curiously out at the viewer, while the pair harnessed to the phaeton occupy centre stage, waiting patiently while refreshments are dispensed by their female passengers, Lady Katherine Douglas and Fanny Newdigate. A curly-haired dog jumps up to receive a treat from a woman standing by the carriage: this bystander, the title indicates, is Jemima herself. Like one of the women on the carriage, she wears a red and white plaid cape, the bright colour enliving the scene — but their faces are entirely obscured by their poke bonnets. The three men are smartly attired with top hats: this is no rustic group. — Jacqueline Banerjee
Bibliography
On shore near Raeberry Castle/ Lady Katherine Douglas and Fanny Newdigate in pony carriage, Jemima Wedderburn standing at one side, Hon. Charles…. National Galleries of Scotland. Web. 18 May 2026.
Created 18 May 2026