The Life and Training of John Syme Edinburgh, 17 January 1795. John Syme enters the world as the son of Alexander Syme and Catharine Johnston. He is born into a family with existing artistic connections, being the nephew of Patrick Syme. The city of his birth provides the backdrop for his early development, a place where the visual language of portraiture is already deeply entrenched. His formal education begins at the Trustees' Acad…