This mid-19th-century oil painting by Scottish artist Robert Thorburn Ross RSA (1816-1876) depicts a seated woman carding wool within a rustic interior.Robert Thorburn Ross RSA was a distinguished painter of domestic genre scenes. His oeuvre is traditional in style and illustrates passing moments within humble cottages and farmhouses. He trained under George Simson RSA (1791-1862) and at the Trustees'' Academy under Sir William Allan RA (1782-1850).A Victorian critic referred to his “amiability and modesty of character” which “secured for him the kindly esteem of his brother artists”. His daughter, Christine Paterson Ross (1843-1906), and son, Joseph Thorburn Ross ARSA (1849-1903) also became painters. The Art Journal produced a lengthy biography in 1871, which is reproduced in our directory.Here, in this fine work from 1851, we see a woman carding wool, which is the process of brushing the fibres to organise them. She’s sitting alongside the stove for warmth and there are ...