Archibald David Reid

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Archibald David Reid (8 June 1844 – August 1908) was a Scottish painter from Aberdeen. He came from a large family; his father, George Reid, ran the Aberdeen Copper Company, and his mother was Esther Tait. His brother Sir George Reid later led the Royal Scottish Academy.

As a boy, Reid left school at fourteen to work in commerce, but he pursued art in his leisure time. He studied at the old Mechanics’ Institute in Aberdeen and, at twenty-three, moved to Edinburgh to attend the Trustees’ Academy and the life-class of the Royal Scottish Academy. He first exhibited in 1870, and his 1873–74 shows were noted for their tonal quality.

A trip to the Netherlands in 1874 influenced his style, and four years later he spent time in Paris, working in Julien’s studio. He also traveled to Spain on a commission from Dr. White. In 1892 he was elected Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy, and he later joined the Royal Institute of Painters in Oils, though he soon resigned. He also belonged to the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolours. Reid rarely exhibited in London.

Reid traveled widely, and his paintings reflect places like Venice, the Alhambra, Campvere, and Auxerre, though he kept Aberdeen as his home. He had a studio in King Street, Aberdeen, and later used his brother’s studio at St Luke’s Kepplestone. He was influenced by Dutch art and had friendships with modern Dutch painters, as well as with George Paul Chalmers, who painted many works in the Reid studio.

Besides landscapes, he did some portraits, including John Colvin, the sacrist at King’s College, Aberdeen. Two of his sea-pieces are in the Macdonald Bequest at Aberdeen, and his large painting A Lone Shore (exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1875) was bought by friends after his death and given to the Aberdeen Art Gallery. Other noted works include Harvest Scene (Glasgow Loan Exhibition, 1878), Guessing the Catch, and Before Service (an interior of King’s College Chapel, Aberdeen with monks).

Towards the end of his life, Reid produced many charcoal landscapes, etched a few plates, and contributed black-and-white illustrations to Life and Work. He was a cultured man, fond of music and literature, and a member of the Aberdeen club known as the New Deer Academy. He died suddenly in Wareham, England, in August 1908 and was buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery, Aberdeen. He married Margaret Sim in 1893; she survived him, and they had no children.