“Cameron’s Gathering” – John Grant illuminated placard – 1 August 1907

The following picture was sent to me by a man in England who had just purchased this rare Grant illuminated piobaireachd at auction.  Grant sometimes drew these impressive “placards” for important contributors or those he hoped would contribute to his cause (especially financially).   This one is characteristic of his work: highly detailed water-colour framing surrounding the music of a known piobaireachd.  The only other placards we know of are two housed at the National Museum of Scotland (see References – Pipe Major John Grant (pmjohngrant.com) and two in the possession of Grant’s descendants.  The placard below was drawn on Whitman’s paper and affixed to a hard board measuring 78.74 cm x 55.88 cm.  In August 1907 Grant was preparing to publish the first edition of his “A Royal Collection of Piobaireachd.”  Although we do not know for certain for whom this placard was intended, the date suggests it was made for someone in the nobility related to the Cameron clan who was already a subscriber or Grant hoped would be.  In the “List of Subscribers” in “A Royal Collection of Piobaireachd” is the name “Cameron, Colin, Connon Bridge, Ross-shire.”