The Binning Children
Sir Henry Raeburn·probably c. 1811
Historical Context
Raeburn's Binning Children from around 1811 is a group portrait of children from a Scottish landed family — a genre that required the portraitist to capture the natural spontaneity of childhood while maintaining the dignity appropriate to a formal commissioned work. Child portraiture was among the most commercially significant segments of the British portrait market, parents commissioning images of children as records of family progress and demonstrations of social standing. Raeburn was particularly successful with child subjects, his directness and lack of sentimentality producing portraits that feel psychologically alive rather than decorative. The multiple children required careful compositional arrangement to give each subject individual presence within the group.
Technical Analysis
The children are arranged in a natural, informal grouping with warm, soft lighting. Raeburn's handling is gentler than in his adult portraits, with the young faces modeled with subtle warm tones and the costumes painted with fresh, bright colors.
Provenance
Painted for the sitters' father, David Monro Binning [1776-1843], Argaty and Softlaw, Perthshire, Scotland; by inheritance to the elder son in the picture, George Home Monro Binning Home [1804-1884], Argaty; by inheritance to his grand-nephew, Dr. George Home Monro-Home [b. 1865], Argaty; (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 3 May 1902, no. 97); (Thos. Agnew & Sons, London);[1] sold 1902 to (M. Knoedler & Co., London);[2] purchased by John Woodruff Simpson [1850-1920], New York; by inheritance to his wife, Mrs. John W. Simpson [née Katherine Seney, d. 1943], New York; gift 1942 to NGA. [1] See Colin Agnew's letter of 26 April 1965 to Marcia Early (in NGA curatorial files), and annotated copy of the sale catalogue in the Knoedler Library British Sales microfiche. [2] M. Knoedler & Co. stock books, recorded by The Getty Provenance Index.
