Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 147 works by George Harvey in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, George Harvey's most famous painting is The Covenanter's Baptism. Portrait of a Lady (1830) and Self-Portrait (1830) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 147 works by George Harvey in our catalog, the gallery presents the 100 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
The air feels heavy with the weight of shared conviction as a group of people gathers around the edge of a mountain stream. Sunlight filters through the atmosphere, catching the ripples of the water and the textures of heavy, period clothing. There is a profound sense of community in this assembly, a quiet togetherness that binds the men and women to the rugged landscape surrounding them. A dog rests near…
The subject emerges from a pale, oval void, a woman captured in a moment of quiet composure. She faces slightly to the left, her gaze meeting the viewer with a steady, direct presence. There is a stillness here, a sense of a life held in suspension. The light is soft, washing over the smooth planes of her face and the delicate curves of her neck without the intrusion of harsh…
In this 1830 miniature, George Harvey turns the gaze of the observer upon himself. The portrait, rendered in a bust-length format, captures the artist with a direct and steady look that suggests a quiet confidence. He is presented in formal attire, wearing a deep black jacket and a crisp white cravat, a combination that emphasizes the pale tones of his skin and the structured curls of his hair. The composition…
In this monochrome portrait of Sarah May Holland by George Harvey, the composition centers on the subject's bust and upper body. She sits facing forward, her gaze directed toward the viewer. An ornate chair with a patterned back provides a structured backdrop, framing her figure against the darker tones of her attire. The arrangement emphasizes a formal, dignified presence, capturing the subject in a moment of quiet stillness.
The Bowlers is an oil on canvas painting by the Scottish artist Sir George Harvey. Executed in 1850, the work belongs to the genre of contemporary narrative scenes, a subject for which Harvey was widely recognized. The piece captures a communal leisure activity within a pastoral setting, reflecting the social rhythms of the mid-nineteenth century.
The Curlers - is an oil on canvas painting by the Scottish artist George Harvey. Born in Stirling, United Kingdom, in 1806, Harvey became a significant figure in the Victorian era. His technical approach often focused on the quiet dignity of figures engaged in communal leisure, a theme central to this work. He remained active in the Scottish art scene until his death in 1876.
The sitter (1812-1867), later a lawyer and judge, was born in Boston and died in Natchez, Mississippi.
Bailie Alexander Harvey Of Provan, Glasgow
12
William Mcalley, Provost Of Stirling
13
Dressed For The Fair
14
Boys And Byke -
15
Young Man With A Musket
16
John Elder, Ws, Law Agent To The Royal Scottish Academy
17
Study for the Painting 'The Battle of Drumclog'
18
Study Of
19
Lost Child Restored To His Mother
20
The Preacher -
21
Two Covenanters -
22
Man In A Cloak
23
Showing The PrizeScottish National Gallery
24
Greys
25
A Nurse Warming A Garment
26
The Lost Child Restored
27
Aged Spinner
28
Portrait Of A Woman
29
Two ChildrenScottish National Gallery
30
Afternoon: Hastings Landing, Palisades Rocks in Shadow, New York1837
31
Rainstorm—Cider Mill at Redding, Connecticut1840 · Metropolitan Museum of Art
32
Early American Vista
33
Dogs -
34
Weel Happet Infant
35
Glenfalloch
36
Trees In A Wind
37
Infant
38
Dog
39
Boys And Byke
40
The Minis
41
Boys And Byke -
42
Boy Retreating From The Wasps
43
Dogs -
44
Aunt Of The Lost Child
45
Lady In A Cloak
46
Man At Court
47
Kitchen Shelf
48
Dogs
49
Young Man With A Gun
50
The Preacher
51
Portrait Of A Lady -
52
Conscious Capability
53
Pompeii
54
The Drove Road
55
Old Mortality
56
Man Preparing To Reward The Finder Of His Lost Child
57
The Baptism On The Hillside
58
Rob Roy's Castle, Scotland
59
Grim Resisters
60
The Bible
61
Study Of A Young Lassie
62
Sheep Shearing
63
Man Seeking Redress At Court
64
Trees On Banks Of The Forth
65
Billeted Soldier And Household
66
David Ramsay Hay, Esq.
67
Covenanter -
68
Two Men And A Girl StandingScottish National Gallery
69
Study Of An Interior
70
Boy Teaching A Dog A Trick
71
Pulling Out A Root To Ram A Wasp's Byke
72
Horse's Head
73
Study Of A Woman
74
Drumclog
75
Two Covenanters
76
The Alarm
77
Finder Of The Lost Child
78
Study Of Tre
79
Old Spinner
80
Woman With A Manservant
81
Dawn On A Scottish Moorland
82
Rev. thomas guthrie,
83
Ready For The Fair
84
Quitting The ManseScottish National Gallery
85
Two Men Looking At A Baptism
86
The Schoolmaster
87
The CurlersScottish National Gallery
88
Covenanters
89
Sleeping Boy
90
A Girl And Two Women, Standing And Holding A BabyScottish National Gallery
91
His Own Catch Of Trout
92
The Mother
93
Four Standing Men (study For 'the Covenanters' Baptism')Scottish National Gallery
94
Disputing The Billet
95
The Schule Skailin'Scottish National Gallery
96
William Rankin, Provost Of Stirling
97
John Bunyan Imagining The Pilgrim's Progress In Bedford Gaol
98
Holy Isle, Arran
99
Woman Clasping The Bible
100
Robert Macfie
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 4 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by George Harvey | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Scottish National Gallery |
Edinburgh | 16 | The Bowlers, The Curlers -, Showing The Prize |
 Metropolitan Museum of Art |
New York | 5 | Portrait of a Lady, Self-Portrait, Sarah May Holland |
 Museum of Fine Arts |
Boston | 2 | View on the Hudson, White Pelicans in Florida |
 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts |
Richmond | 1 | Scene of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
The sitter (1812-1867), later a lawyer and judge, was born in Boston and died in Natchez, Mississippi.
The subject emerges from a pale, oval void, a woman captured in a moment of quiet composure. She faces slightly to the left, her gaze meeting the viewer with a steady, direct presence. There is a stillness here, a sense of a life held in suspension. The light is soft, washing over the smooth planes of her face and the delicate curves of her neck without the intrusion of harsh…
In this monochrome portrait of Sarah May Holland by George Harvey, the composition centers on the subject's bust and upper body. She sits facing forward, her gaze directed toward the viewer. An ornate chair with a patterned back provides a structured backdrop, framing her figure against the darker tones of her attire. The arrangement emphasizes a formal, dignified presence, capturing the subject in a moment of quiet stillness.
The Bowlers is an oil on canvas painting by the Scottish artist Sir George Harvey. Executed in 1850, the work belongs to the genre of contemporary narrative scenes, a subject for which Harvey was widely recognized. The piece captures a communal leisure activity within a pastoral setting, reflecting the social rhythms of the mid-nineteenth century.
The Covenanter's Baptism. Portrait of a Lady (1830) and Self-Portrait (1830) come next.
The Covenanter's Baptism, Portrait of a Lady, Self-Portrait, Sarah May Holland, The Bowlers, The Curlers -, Joseph Stevens Buckminster Thacher, Scene of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, View on the Hudson and White Pelicans in Florida. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 147 works by George Harvey, dated from 1829 to 1873.
Mostly in Scottish National Gallery (Edinburgh), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and Museum of Fine Arts (Boston). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1830s: 5 of the 100 works on this page were made then, Portrait of a Lady among them.
On this page, the earliest is Joseph Stevens Buckminster Thacher (1829) and the latest White Pelicans in Florida (1873).
Portrait (7), Men (7) and Boys (6), across the 100 works on this page.
Oil, for 2 of the 100 works on this page.
Realism, judging by the originals on this page.
The Bowlers, The Curlers - and Showing The Prize: the Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh holds 10 of the works on this page.
In the heart of nineteenth-century Scotland, a period defined by profound religious conviction and shifting social landscapes, the brush of Sir George Harvey captured more than mere scenery; it captured the very spirit of a nation. Born on February 1st, 1806, in Saint Ninians, Stirling, Harvey emerged from the rugged beauty of his homeland to become one of the most distinguished figures of the Victorian era. His early years were shaped by the meticulous traditions of Scottish Romanticism, having studied under the guidance of William Laidlaw. This foundational training instilled in him a reverence for light and a precision in detail that would later allow him to breathe life into the historical dramas of the Covenanters—the devout Protestants who stood as symbols of resistance against religious imposition during Scotland's turbulent Restoration.
Harvey’s artistic trajectory was marked by an extraordinary precocity. By the age of twenty, his talent had already garnered such distinction that he was invited to become an associate of the Royal Scottish Academy, a testament to his technical mastery and burgeoning reputation. While his roots lay in the landscape traditions of his mentors, Harvey’s true passion resided in the narrative power of history painting. He possessed a unique ability to transform historical chronicles into visceral, emotional experiences. His canvases did not merely document the past; they resurrected it, using dramatic lighting and carefully orchestrated perspectives to place the viewer directly within the solemnity of a religious gathering or the quiet tension of a historical turning point.
The breadth of Harvey’s oeuvre reveals an artist deeply enamored with the nuances of human existence, ranging from the epic to the intimate. His work often oscillated between the grand scale of historical commemoration and the tender observation of daily life. In his celebrated studies for religious scenes, such as Two Women And A Boy, one finds a serene yet powerful atmosphere that mirrors the spiritual fervor of the era. Yet, Harvey was equally adept at capturing the quiet dignity of the individual. His portraits, including the evocative Portrait Of A Woman, demonstrate an astute command of anatomy and the delicate textures of drapery, conveying grace through subtle shifts in expression.
Beyond the heavy themes of religious history, Harvey explored the softer edges of Scottish life through genre painting and landscape. His ability to manipulate medium—moving from the robust realism of oil to the fluid, atmospheric qualities of watercolor—allowed him to explore different emotional registers:
As the nineteenth century progressed, Harvey’s influence continued to resonate through the halls of the Royal Scottish Academy and beyond. His work served as a vital bridge between the rigid traditions of classical history painting and the more emotive, light-focused approaches that would eventually pave the way for later movements. Even as art moved toward the impressionistic, Harvey’s commitment to realism and narrative truth ensured his place in the canon of Scottish masters. He did not merely paint what he saw; he painted what was felt, embedding the religious and social struggles of the Covenanters into the visual fabric of Scottish identity.
Sir George Harvey passed away in Edinburgh in 1876, leaving behind a legacy that remains a cornerstone of Scottish art history. His ability to blend technical prowess with deep spiritual and historical resonance allows his works to remain profoundly moving even centuries later. To look upon a Harvey painting is to witness the intersection of history and art, where every brushstroke serves as an echo of a nation's enduring strength and its complex, beautiful heritage.
