This portrait of John Campbell is an important early depiction
of Highland dress. The elaborate costume and landscape
background indicate the status of the young sitter, who was heir
to one of the great Highland families, the Campbells of
Glenorchy. John Campbell was born in London and educated in
Oxford. From 1720 until 1729 he was a diplomat at the Danish
court in Copenhagen and in 1731 he became ambassador to Russia.
Campbell was also an elected MP. He succeeded his father as Earl
of Breadalbane in 1752 and that same year was chosen as a
representative peer for Scotland. In later life Campbell spent
much time and energy improving the family estate on the shores
of Loch Tay in Perthshire.