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A Blind Fiddler

Geikie, Walter, Etching
A Blind Fiddler
A Blind Fiddler
A Blind Fiddler
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Category
Museums & Galleries Item
Item no
31393
Title
A Blind Fiddler
Description
The itinerant blind fiddler is a stock motif in the work of many genre artists. David Wilkie painted his famous work The Blind Fiddler in 1806, and these musicians crop up regularly in Dutch art of the 17th century.

Geikie sometimes borrowed figure groupings from other artists for his own work. However, while the theme of this etching is familiar, its composition appears to be original. Geikie's performer plays at the side of the street, watched by onlookers and accompanied by a howling dog that is threatened by a woman wielding a cane.

According to the anonymous commentary that accompanies the published volume Etchings Illustrative of Scottish Character and Scenery, this image represents Alexander McDonald, known as 'Blind Aleck', who earned his living by playing the fiddle and singing on the streets of Glasgow. Unfortunately, there is no way of confirming this identification.
Artist / maker
Type
Location
City Art Centre
Accession number
1978/1120