Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1860 - 1937. Author

This portrait was painted while the artist was working on sets for the stage production of J. M. Barrie's 'Peter Pan'; or, 'The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up' which opened at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London in December 1904. Barrie was a complex character, his deep-seated melancholy attributable to a family tragedy. Born in Kirriemuir, Angus, the son of a handloom weaver, Barrie was only six years old when his older brother was killed in a skating accident. Tragedy followed in later life, when one of his adopted sons was killed during the First World War.

Barrie enjoyed great acclaim as an author as well as a playwright; his plays include 'The Admirable Crichton'(1902), 'Dear Brutus' (1917), 'Mary Rose' (1920) and 'Boy David'(1936). The proceeds from his most famous work, 'Peter Pan'were bequeathed to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, which continues to benefit from them today.

Credit: Purchased with assistance from the Art Fund 1943