William Hole (artist)

William Brassey Hole RSA (7 November 1846 – 22 October 1917) was a Scottish Victorian painter, illustrator, etcher, and engraver.

Principal paintings include End of the '45 (1879), A Straggler of the Chevalier's Army, Culloden, Prince Charlie's Parliament (1882), If thou hadst known (1885) and The Canterbury Pilgrims (1889).

Other paintings included Medea in the Island of Circe, several based on Arthurian legend, and several depicting the life of fishermen on the west coast of Scotland, exhibited in 1883–84.

In 1894 onwards, he undertook to decorate the church, in his spare time and at no charge, with mural paintings,[3] which later led to the commission for his work at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

[4] In 1898 Hole painted a Processional Frieze for the entrance hall of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, showing over 150 figures or "heroes" from Scotland's past.

In later life he lived at 13 Inverleith Terrace in north Edinburgh, his neighbour at 15 being fellow-artist James Cadenhead.