Beloved pets of the Brodie family

This charming portrait of Alexander, later 20th Laird of Brodie (1741–1759), was probably painted by Charles Phillips (1708–1747) at about the time of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Had Alexander, aged four or five here, looked out of the windows of Brodie, he would have seen the fires of the Duke of Cumberland’s troops glowing in the distance, where they were camping on a field by Brodie Mains on their way to fight at Culloden. Alexander clearly had a devoted canine companion even at this young age. Although he looks like a little ball of fluff snuggled into the frock (during this period young boys wore dresses until they were considered old enough to wear trousers), something in his expression suggests he would attack anyone who imperilled his young master.

Sometime in the first few years of the 19th Century, John Opie (1761–1807) painted William, later 22nd Laird (1799–1873), and his siblings against a dramatic rural backdrop. Having not long arrived from India, perhaps the Newfoundland dog was a present welcoming them to their native shores? He was clearly a beloved pet to the extent that they wanted him to be included in their group portrait. What a hero Opie was for painting seven young children and a dog – imagine trying to keep them still long enough to paint them! Writing to George (the youngest child in this group, on the dog’s back) a few years later, his stepfather mentions that Pozie the dog has become so fond of their cook that he will hardly leave her side, even to go walking with the family. He was clearly a very affectionate animal.

Elizabeth Brodie (1794–1864) married George, 5th Duke of Gordon, and although Driver the deerhound was mostly there to work, he was evidently beloved enough for George to have him painted by one of the most famous and accomplished painters of the period: Edwin Landseer (1802–1873), renowned for his dramatic and emotive depictions of animals, such as the ‘Monarch of the Glen’ painting on display at the National Gallery of Scotland. What you can see today in the library at Brodie is a reduced version of the original landscape, which showed Driver having succeeded at what he was trained to do – hunt deer. At some point in the 20th century, Violet Brodie – a great animal lover – took exception to the graphic depiction of a dead deer, so had the charming head of Driver cut out and framed separately.