Francis Grant (1803 –1878) was born in Edinburgh. He was a Scottish portrait painter who painted many distinguished British aristocratic and political figures of the day including Queen Victoria. He served as President of the Royal Academy. Grant was the 4th son of Anne Oliphant of Rossie and Francis Grant of Kilgraston. Grant attended Harrow School. Upon his father’s death, he inherited a large sum of money - a fortune which was apparently wasted. As a young man, he had a passion for sports such as fox-hunting, and he initially intended to become a lawyer. However, he never got the satisfaction he wanted and decided to leave his studies to take up painting. Grant was mainly self-taught though he briefly spent time in the studio of Alexander Nasmyth. He learnt partly by copying the works of Velasquez and other masters. Grant acquired a status as a fine painter of sporting subjects. In 1834 he had the opportunity to exhibit at the Royal Academy.
The exhibition was very successful. In 1837, 1939 and 1940 he exhibited at the same venue again. All these were very impressive and he became the fashionable portrait-painter of the time. The portrait of Lady Glenlyon that he exhibited in 1842 increased his reputation, and for the next 4 decades, the most refined and graceful portraits in the Royal Academy exhibitions came from his studio. He was elected an associate and as an academician of the Royal Academy. In 1866 Grant was elected the Academy President. Between 1834 and 1879 he contributed hundreds of works to the exhibitions of the Royal Academy.
