George Outram Paintings

George Outram was a Scottish lawyer, journalist, and poet, known less for visual arts than for his written works. Born on March 25, 1805, in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, he was not primarily an artist by profession but has sometimes been associated with artistic circles due to his literary contributions and his engagement with cultural figures of his time.

Outram was educated at the University of Glasgow, where he distinguished himself in the classics and was awarded several prizes. After his university education, he pursued a career in law and became a writer to the Signet in 1830, which is a historical position in the Scottish legal profession equivalent to a solicitor.

While Outram's professional life was rooted in law, he was most celebrated for his humorous and satirical poetry. His literary work was characterized by its wit and the use of Scottish vernacular, which won him a great deal of popularity in his native Scotland. One of his best-known works is 'The Annuity', a collection of humorous legal and satirical verses that was published posthumously in 1874. The book includes his famous poem 'The Annuity', which satirizes the complexities of legal transactions in Scots law related to the provision of annuities.

Outram was also involved in journalism and was one of the founders of 'The Glasgow Herald', which is one of the oldest newspapers in the world still in publication. He contributed to the paper under various pseudonyms, where he could express his wit and humor through articles and verses.

George Outram's social circle included many prominent figures of Scottish literature and culture, such as the poet and author James Hogg, also known as the 'Ettrick Shepherd', and the philosopher Thomas Carlyle. Despite his relatively short life, George Outram left a lasting impression on Scottish literature with his humorous and insightful commentary on the legal profession and the society of his time.

He died on September 15, 1856, in Edinburgh, after a brief illness. Although Outram's contributions were not in the realm of fine arts, his legacy as a poet and journalist remains an essential part of the cultural heritage of Scotland.