James Whitelaw Hamilton was to spend most of his life in Helensburgh after his parents moved the family to the town. Whitelaw Hamilton displayed an aptitude for painting at an early age, and after studying in Glasgow, he moved to Paris and studied in the studios of Dagnan-Bouveret and Aime Morot, both considered leading lights of the 19th century French Movement, specializing in landscapes and portraiture.

The artist's landscapes have a rugged and raw quality, and his fishing villages, particularly scenes of quays and harbors with people gathered or working on them were also very successful. Whitelaw Hamilton became friends with the Glasgow Boys. In 1884, he joined Guthrie, Henry, Crawhall and Me...