July 8 in Scottish History

On 8 July 1647 Frances Stuart, Scottish aristocrat and mistress of Charles II, was born. A favourite of King Charles II, she became known as "la belle Stuart". She survived a scandal engineered by the king's number-one mistress, the duchess of Cleveland, who was worried she might be supplanted in the king's affections. She was briefly banished from court, but returned to favour when the king nursed her back to health after catching smallpox. Stuart earned an enduring place in history when she was chosen by the King to sit as the model for Britannia, her profile appearing on British coins into the modern day.

On this day in 1823, the renowned artist, Sir Henry Raeburn, died. Raeburn was known as the "Scottish Reynolds", and became famous for his portraits of Scottish notables. Aside from his portrait of "Rev Robert Walker skating", his other well-known works include "Colonel Alasdair Mcdonnell of Glengarry" and "Portrait of Neil Gow."

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