Story: Scots

In 1844 James MacKay, son of an Aberdeen merchant who had been living in London since 1827, set sail with his family for New Zealand. Before they left he had a painter, William Allsworth, produce a romanticised image of the departure of a family of noble Highland ancestry. MacKay’s aim was to give the family prestige and distinction in the new country. The painting is also an early example of the adoption of a Highland identity by many of New Zealand’s Scots.