An Apprenticeship in Burns: Robert Scott's Engraving Workshop and Burns Iconography in the Early Romantic Period

This article discusses the contributions of Robert Scott's engraving workshop and his industry collaborations towards Burns illustrations and iconography of the early Romantic period. It provides contextual information on the artists Scott collaborated with, namely David Allan, George Sanders and Alexander Carse, and how Scott's unique workshop network established key facets of Burns's visual reception of the Romantic period and beyond. This article covers Burns's presence in Brash and Reid edition frontispieces and two renditions of ‘The Cotter's Saturday Night’, noting how the Scott circle helped establish biographical readings of Burns's poetry through their illustrations.