Cosmo Alexander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cosmo Alexander
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Self-portrait, 1749
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| Born |
Cosmo Alexander
1724 |
| Died | 25 August 1772 (aged 47–48) |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Known for | Painting |
Cosmo Alexander (born 1724 – died August 25, 1772) was a Scottish artist. He was famous for painting portraits of people. Cosmo Alexander supported a group called the Jacobites. They wanted a different king to rule England and Scotland. After the Jacobites lost an important battle in 1745, Alexander spent much of his life living in other countries.
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Who Was Cosmo Alexander?
Cosmo Alexander was born in 1724. His father, John Alexander, was also a painter and engraver from Aberdeen, Scotland. Cosmo was named after Cosmo Gordon. Gordon was the son of a Jacobite leader.
Early Life and Jacobite Adventures
In 1745, Cosmo Alexander joined the Jacobite Rising. This was a fight to put Bonnie Prince Charlie on the throne. The Jacobites lost this fight at the Battle of Culloden in January 1746.
Like many other Jacobite supporters, Alexander had to leave Scotland. He went to Europe, arriving in Rome, Italy, in 1747.
Painting Across Europe and America
In Rome, Cosmo Alexander was asked to paint a portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie. He continued to paint portraits of other Jacobites who were also living away from home. He traveled through Italy and France for several years, painting as he went.
In 1754, Alexander settled in London, England. A friend, James Gibbs, who was an architect, had left him a house there. For the next ten years, Alexander worked in London, Scotland, and the Netherlands. He joined a group called the Incorporated Society of Artists in 1765.
In 1766, Alexander moved to Philadelphia, in the American colonies. He painted portraits of Scottish people living there. In 1768, William Franklin, the governor of New Jersey, asked Alexander to paint for him.
A Teacher to a Famous Artist
In 1769, while in Newport, Rhode Island, Alexander took on a young assistant. His name was Gilbert Stuart, and he was only 14 years old. Alexander and Stuart traveled together in the southern American states.
In 1771, Alexander and Stuart returned to Scotland. Stuart planned to keep learning from Alexander. However, Cosmo Alexander died in Edinburgh the next year, on August 25, 1772.
His Art and Legacy
Cosmo Alexander's paintings are important because they show us what people looked like in his time. He painted many important figures, especially those connected to the Jacobite cause.
A fictional lost painting by Cosmo Alexander is part of a story. It appears in a 1927 book called The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. This book was written by the horror writer HP Lovecraft. In the story, Alexander is described as a great painter and a good teacher. He was seen as someone who helped train his famous student, Gilbert Stuart.
Gallery
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Self-Portrait, Aberdeen Art Gallery
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Alexander's portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie, painted in Rome and now in the collection of the Stirling Smith Museum and Art Gallery
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Alexander's portrait of George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal, painted in 1742 and now in the collection of the University of Aberdeen
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Portrait of the Countess of Findlater, 1756, Aberdeen Art Gallery
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Portrait of Rev. William Wilson of Airlie, Perth, 1761, Aberdeen Art Gallery
