John Kay (1742–1826), Scottish

“This is another painting by Joe Hendry exploring the theme of the kilted Scottish figure. The man is shown from behind, hands clasped behind his back, standing quite calmly on the canvas.

What I like about this one is its simplicity. There’s nothing complicated about it — just a figure, a kilt, and a quiet bit of attitude. Hendry manages to make something very Scottish feel fresh and contemporary at the same time.”

John Kay (1742–1826) was a Scottish caricaturist, engraver and printmaker whose work provides an important visual record of life in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Edinburgh. He was born in Dalkeith, Midlothian, and moved to Edinburgh as a young man.

Kay initially worked as a barber, but in the 1780s he began producing satirical etched portraits of notable local characters. He opened a small shop in Parliament Close, near St Giles’ Cathedral, where he sold his prints directly to the public. His subjects included politicians, lawyers, clergy, academics and well-known figures from Edinburgh society.

Over several decades Kay produced hundreds of etched caricatures, combining humour, satire and sharp observation. These prints captured the personalities and social life of the Scottish capital during the period of the Scottish Enlightenment.

Many of Kay’s prints were later collected and published in the multi-volume work “A Series of Original Portraits and Caricature Etchings”, first issued in the nineteenth century. Today his prints are valued both as examples of early Scottish satirical printmaking and as historical documents illustrating the people and culture of Enlightenment-era Edinburgh.