Curators seek descendants of artist’s famous model

CURATORS of the first major display of colourist Francis Cadell’s work in 70 years are calling on members of the public to come forward with information about his most famous model.

Bethia Hamilton Don Wauchope is understood to have been about 20 years senior to the celebrated artist and lived on the same New Town Street as he did. But apart from that, there is little known about the elegant woman, who featured in Cadell’s Portrait of a Lady in Black, The Black Hat and The Embroidered Cloak.

Curators of The Scottish Colourist Series: FCB Cadell, which is running at the Scottish National Gallery until March, have asked anyone who might have any information to come forward. Alice Strang said: “Descendants of her family may still live in Edinburgh. It would be great if anyone had photographs or letters to her. Cadell obviously had a close relationship with this woman but we don’t know why”

Miss Don Wauchope was born in 1864, died in 1946 and was one of a family of eight children who lived at Ainslie Place.