Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1860 - 1937. Author

J.M. Barrie — the Scottish author who created Peter Pan and occupied a unique position in Edwardian literary culture as both a serious dramatist and the creator of an enduring popular myth — was painted by his friend William Nicholson in 1904, the same year Peter Pan premiered in London. Nicholson and Barrie moved in overlapping circles of writers, artists, and theatre people, and the portrait carries the ease of a friendly sitting rather than a formal commission. Nicholson's approach to portraiture was characteristically spare and tonally precise — he had developed through his poster and woodcut work a sense of flat, simplified form that carried into his painted surfaces. The National Galleries Scotland holds the portrait as part of its collection of Scottish literary figures.

Nicholson employed his characteristic simplified tonal approach — the composition is organised around a few decisive tonal relationships rather than complex modelling. The background is reduced to near-flatness, directing attention entirely to the sitter's face. The paint surface is smooth and controlled, reflecting Nicholson's background in printmaking.