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ART PERIODS

ALLAN, SIR William, Scottish artist : b. Edinburgh, Scotland, 1782; d. there, Feb. 23, 1850. He was a fellow student with David Wilkie at the art academy in Edinburgh, and afterward studied at the Royal Academy, London. From 1805 to 1814 he lived in Russia, traveled extensively in that country and painted many pictures of Russian life, one of which, "Russian Peasants Keeping Their Holiday", was shown to the Royal Academy in 1809. Upon his return to Scotland in 1814, his work attracted the interest of Sir Walter Scott, who raised a subscription of 1000 guineas for his painting, "Circassian Captives." Allan then turned to historical subjects and battle scenes, among them two paintings of the Battle of Waterloo, one (1843) from the British and the other (1846) from the French position. The 1st Duke of Wellington purchase the former. Allan also traveled and painting in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Asia Minor. In 1838 he became president of the Roal Scottish Academy, and was knighted in 1842.