Nephosthe weather behind the paintings
James Guthrie, Hard At It: a painter at an easel on a grassy shore under a white umbrella, the sea and a distant steamship behind.
Glasgow Museums, 3248, purchased 1967. CC BY-NC 4.0, Glasgow Museums.

A study against the weather record

James Guthrie

Hard At It

1883 · Glasgow Museums, 3248

The painting has no date, and Scottish weather is changeable. How often did the summer of 1883 give a painter a day like this one?

20days from June to September 1883 with at least 8 hours of sun and no rain, in every month, at a register 24 km from Cockburnspath.

“The sunshine” partially agrees“Gusty winds” unknown

The recordsThe painting at Glasgow Museums

The Nephos method

How this study was read

The method in full

  1. What is written

    Painted at Cockburnspath, on the Berwickshire coast, in 1883; the museum records no month or day.

  2. Records of those days

    Not found or not yet searched

    • No daily wind record near Cockburnspath has been read; the Met Office Daily Weather Report gives Leith at 8 a.m. but is not keyed.
    • Guthrie’s arrival month at Cockburnspath is not documented in open sources.
    • The same Marchmont rain gauge is in the Met Office MIDAS archive, which needs a login; it would check the rain column independently.

  3. Each claim tested

    • “the sunshine”, strong enough that the painter shades his canvas. Marchmont had at least 8 hours of sun with no rain on 20 days from June to September 1883: 8 in June, 4 in July, 6 in August and 2 in September.
    • “the gusty winds of the Scottish seashore”. No wind was recorded at Marchmont or on this coast in a daily record that has been read.
    • “like the season itself, very variable”, Hardy on 1883. Rain days and dry days changed places 45 times in the 122 days from June to September at Marchmont; July was the 5th wettest of 78 at St Abb’s Head.

  4. Verdict

    Bright, dry days came at Marchmont, inland, in every month from June to September 1883. That makes the painting’s weather plausible for the season; it does not identify the day.

    • Partially agrees“the sunshine” Such days recur through the season at a register 24 km inland; the painted day itself is unknown.
    • Unknown“the gusty winds” No daily wind record has been read.
    • Partially agrees“very variable” The register flips between wet and dry every few days; “variable” is Hardy’s judgment.

What this cannot tell you. Marchmont is inland at 500 feet, 24 km from the shore where the picture was painted. The June sunshine column sums to 179 hours but the page prints 279; the daily values are kept as printed. One July rain value is in worn type (0.43 or 0.45 inches); it does not change which days had rain. A date would narrow the comparison, but sunshine and rain measured inland cannot tell the weather at the easel.

Step 2 · Records of those days

A summer of sunshine and rain, day by day

Peter Loney kept a daily register of rain and hours of sunshine at Marchmont, 24 km inland from Cockburnspath, and it was printed sideways in the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club’s History for 1882–84. Nephos transcribed June to September and checked each month against the printed totals: rain matches in June, August and September and sunshine in July, August and September. The June sunshine days add up to 179 hours though the page prints 279, and one July rain figure is in worn type; neither changes which days were bright or wet.

Every day from June to September 1883 at Marchmont: hours of sunshine and rainEach square is a day, darker for more hours of sunshine; a blue dot marks rain. 20 days had at least 8 hours of sun and no rain, outlined in red, in every month.161116212631June1 June 1883: 4 h of sun, no rain2 June 1883: 12 h of sun, no rain3 June 1883: 12 h of sun, no rain4 June 1883: 7 h of sun, no rain5 June 1883: 0 h of sun, no rain6 June 1883: 2 h of sun, no rain7 June 1883: 3 h of sun, no rain8 June 1883: 10 h of sun, no rain9 June 1883: 5 h of sun, 0.17 in of rain10 June 1883: 2 h of sun, no rain11 June 1883: 6 h of sun, 0.03 in of rain12 June 1883: 5 h of sun, 0.02 in of rain13 June 1883: 6 h of sun, no rain14 June 1883: 7 h of sun, 0.04 in of rain15 June 1883: 9 h of sun, no rain16 June 1883: 7 h of sun, 0.02 in of rain17 June 1883: 6 h of sun, 0.09 in of rain18 June 1883: 9 h of sun, no rain19 June 1883: 6 h of sun, 0.03 in of rain20 June 1883: 8 h of sun, no rain21 June 1883: 10 h of sun, no rain22 June 1883: 10 h of sun, 0.13 in of rain23 June 1883: 9 h of sun, no rain24 June 1883: 6 h of sun, 0.50 in of rain25 June 1883: 0 h of sun, 1.83 in of rain26 June 1883: 2 h of sun, 0.04 in of rain27 June 1883: 4 h of sun, 0.23 in of rain28 June 1883: 5 h of sun, no rain29 June 1883: 2 h of sun, 0.06 in of rain30 June 1883: 5 h of sun, 0.04 in of rainJuly1 July 1883: 10 h of sun, no rain2 July 1883: 5 h of sun, 0.15 in of rain3 July 1883: 2 h of sun, 0.83 in of rain4 July 1883: 2 h of sun, 0.08 in of rain5 July 1883: 5 h of sun, 0.07 in of rain6 July 1883: 7 h of sun, no rain7 July 1883: 8 h of sun, 0.03 in of rain8 July 1883: 9 h of sun, 0.13 in of rain9 July 1883: 7 h of sun, 0.46 in of rain10 July 1883: 6 h of sun, no rain11 July 1883: 5 h of sun, 0.57 in of rain12 July 1883: 3 h of sun, 0.04 in of rain13 July 1883: 3 h of sun, 0.42 in of rain14 July 1883: 4 h of sun, 0.06 in of rain15 July 1883: 8 h of sun, no rain16 July 1883: 5 h of sun, 0.03 in of rain17 July 1883: 5 h of sun, 0.23 in of rain18 July 1883: 6 h of sun, 0.10 in of rain19 July 1883: 5 h of sun, no rain20 July 1883: 7 h of sun, 0.26 in of rain21 July 1883: 0 h of sun, 0.43 in of rain22 July 1883: 4 h of sun, 0.32 in of rain23 July 1883: 3 h of sun, 0.15 in of rain24 July 1883: 2 h of sun, 0.07 in of rain25 July 1883: 2 h of sun, 0.03 in of rain26 July 1883: 7 h of sun, no rain27 July 1883: 8 h of sun, no rain28 July 1883: 9 h of sun, no rain29 July 1883: 7 h of sun, no rain30 July 1883: 6 h of sun, no rain31 July 1883: 4 h of sun, no rainAugust1 August 1883: 5 h of sun, no rain2 August 1883: 3 h of sun, 0.41 in of rain3 August 1883: 4 h of sun, no rain4 August 1883: 5 h of sun, no rain5 August 1883: 7 h of sun, no rain6 August 1883: 5 h of sun, no rain7 August 1883: 8 h of sun, 0.15 in of rain8 August 1883: 4 h of sun, 0.09 in of rain9 August 1883: 3 h of sun, 0.13 in of rain10 August 1883: 5 h of sun, 0.02 in of rain11 August 1883: 9 h of sun, no rain12 August 1883: 5 h of sun, 0.98 in of rain13 August 1883: 0 h of sun, 0.52 in of rain14 August 1883: 3 h of sun, 0.08 in of rain15 August 1883: 2 h of sun, 0.26 in of rain16 August 1883: 10 h of sun, no rain17 August 1883: 3 h of sun, 0.02 in of rain18 August 1883: 8 h of sun, no rain19 August 1883: 9 h of sun, no rain20 August 1883: 4 h of sun, no rain21 August 1883: 3 h of sun, no rain22 August 1883: 4 h of sun, no rain23 August 1883: 8 h of sun, no rain24 August 1883: 8 h of sun, no rain25 August 1883: 6 h of sun, 0.02 in of rain26 August 1883: 3 h of sun, 0.04 in of rain27 August 1883: 4 h of sun, 0.02 in of rain28 August 1883: 2 h of sun, 0.25 in of rain29 August 1883: 4 h of sun, 0.05 in of rain30 August 1883: 3 h of sun, 0.02 in of rain31 August 1883: 4 h of sun, no rainSeptember1 September 1883: 4 h of sun, 0.74 in of rain2 September 1883: 0 h of sun, 0.32 in of rain3 September 1883: 2 h of sun, 0.06 in of rain4 September 1883: 6 h of sun, no rain5 September 1883: 8 h of sun, 0.08 in of rain6 September 1883: 5 h of sun, 0.02 in of rain7 September 1883: 6 h of sun, no rain8 September 1883: 8 h of sun, no rain9 September 1883: 9 h of sun, 0.05 in of rain10 September 1883: 0 h of sun, 0.02 in of rain11 September 1883: 9 h of sun, no rain12 September 1883: 6 h of sun, no rain13 September 1883: 4 h of sun, no rain14 September 1883: 6 h of sun, no rain15 September 1883: 0 h of sun, 0.08 in of rain16 September 1883: 7 h of sun, no rain17 September 1883: 6 h of sun, no rain18 September 1883: 3 h of sun, 0.02 in of rain19 September 1883: 2 h of sun, 0.05 in of rain20 September 1883: 0 h of sun, 1.25 in of rain21 September 1883: 0 h of sun, 0.11 in of rain22 September 1883: 5 h of sun, 0.02 in of rain23 September 1883: 4 h of sun, 0.03 in of rain24 September 1883: 0 h of sun, 0.13 in of rain25 September 1883: 4 h of sun, 0.33 in of rain26 September 1883: 0 h of sun, 0.25 in of rain27 September 1883: 3 h of sun, 0.25 in of rain28 September 1883: 5 h of sun, 0.05 in of rain29 September 1883: 2 h of sun, 0.32 in of rain30 September 1883: 2 h of sun, 0.11 in of rain
Each square is one day at Marchmont, darker for more hours of sunshine; a blue dot marks rain, larger for more. Outlined in red: at least 8 hours of sun and no rain, the kind of day the painting shows.
20
days from June to September with at least 8 hours of sun and no rain at Marchmont
45
times rain days and dry days changed places in those 122 days
4
of those bright dry days in July, the 5th wettest July of 78 on this coast
8
in June, the brightest month
Every day, sunshine and rain at Marchmont
1883Sunshine, hoursRain, in
1 June4
2 June12
3 June12
4 June7
5 June
6 June2
7 June3
8 June10
9 June50.17
10 June2
11 June60.03
12 June50.02
13 June6
14 June70.04
15 June9
16 June70.02
17 June60.09
18 June9
19 June60.03
20 June8
21 June10
22 June100.13
23 June9
24 June60.50
25 June1.83
26 June20.04
27 June40.23
28 June5
29 June20.06
30 June50.04
1 July10
2 July50.15
3 July20.83
4 July20.08
5 July50.07
6 July7
7 July80.03
8 July90.13
9 July70.46
10 July6
11 July50.57
12 July30.04
13 July30.42
14 July40.06
15 July8
16 July50.03
17 July50.23
18 July60.10
19 July5
20 July70.26
21 July0.43
22 July40.32
23 July30.15
24 July20.07
25 July20.03
26 July7
27 July8
28 July9
29 July7
30 July6
31 July4
1 August5
2 August30.41
3 August4
4 August5
5 August7
6 August5
7 August80.15
8 August40.09
9 August30.13
10 August50.02
11 August9
12 August50.98
13 August0.52
14 August30.08
15 August20.26
16 August10
17 August30.02
18 August8
19 August9
20 August4
21 August3
22 August4
23 August8
24 August8
25 August60.02
26 August30.04
27 August40.02
28 August20.25
29 August40.05
30 August30.02
31 August4
1 September40.74
2 September0.32
3 September20.06
4 September6
5 September80.08
6 September50.02
7 September6
8 September8
9 September90.05
10 September0.02
11 September9
12 September6
13 September4
14 September6
15 September0.08
16 September7
17 September6
18 September30.02
19 September20.05
20 September1.25
21 September0.11
22 September50.02
23 September40.03
24 September0.13
25 September40.33
26 September0.25
27 September30.25
28 September50.05
29 September20.32
30 September20.11

Step 3 · The claims tested

Does the day matter?

The painting has no recorded date, and the Scottish weather of 1883 changed every few days. But the conditions it shows, sun strong enough to shade a canvas and no rain, came in every month of the summer, one or two days at a time. On the coast, July was one of the wettest on record and August drier than usual. So the records show that the painting’s kind of day was common that summer, not which day it was. A date would narrow the search, but knowing the wind and light at the easel would still take a record from the shore.

Monthly rain at St Abb’s Head in 1883 and on average, 1862–1943Dark bars: 1883. Light bars: the average. July 1883 had 4.85 inches, the 5th wettest July of 78.1″2″3″4″5″June 1883: 2.16 inJune average: 1.76 inJuneJuly 1883: 4.85 inJuly average: 2.46 inJuly5th wettest of 78August 1883: 1.89 inAugust average: 2.59 inAugustSeptember 1883: 2.57 inSeptember average: 2.02 inSeptember
Monthly rain at St Abb’s Head, 14 km east on the same coast. Rainfall Rescue (Hawkins et al.), CC BY 4.0.

“The artist holds an umbrella partly to shield himself from the gusty winds of the Scottish seashore, but also to prevent the sunshine from casting a shadow on his canvas.”

Glasgow Museums, collection record 3248

“The weather, a very important item in the success of meetings, has been, like the season itself, very variable on the Club’s days.”

James Hardy of Oldcambus, Cockburnspath, Report of the Meetings for 1883, History of the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club, vol. X, p. 242

Step 4 · Why the verdict stops at the season

The wind is not on record

Marchmont measured rain and sunshine, not wind, and it stands inland at 500 feet; the shore at Cockburnspath is windier. The gusts the museum describes cannot be tested until a daily wind record for this coast is read. Hardy, who lived at Oldcambus in the same parish, recorded the season’s extremes.

“We had two brilliant days—Kelso and Eccles, and Holy Island ;”

The same report

“With the exception of two hours at mid-day, incessant rain fell from morning till dark, the blasts increasing in energy as the day advanced.”

The same report, the Wooler and Cheviot meeting, p. 279

“an agreeable surprise, after the rain of the preceding day-and evening, and the lugubrious looking morning”

The same report, St Mary’s Loch, Wednesday 29 August 1883

Sources

Every source on this page

Each file was downloaded and given a fingerprint (its sha256). The page is rebuilt from these files and will not build if a fingerprint changes, so every number above comes from them rather than being typed in.

  1. Glasgow Museums, James Guthrie, Hard At It, 3248, collection recordMuseum text; quoted briefly · retrieved 30 September 2026sha256 ecb300a7e2133feada9ce929f27c4859a5bf3822fb982d5ac97b399f1503d7a1
  2. Glasgow Museums, image of Hard At ItCC BY-NC 4.0, Glasgow Museums · retrieved 30 September 2026sha256 c2693894b7ebc144da0d72701eac307a80ad5583645abcbbc2c1af14498bfa49
  3. Register of rainfall and sunshine in the year 1883, kept at Marchmont, by Peter Loney: History of the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club, vol. X, p. 421Public domain; Internet Archive scan · retrieved 30 September 2026sha256 c441f3d046efa21e0e66d64e397880f901fab80e42699edd3339f28253ee165dTranscribed by Nephos into window-engine/evidence/guthrie/marchmont-1883.json; the sums are checked against the printed monthly totals.
  4. History of the Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club, vol. X (1882–84), full textPublic domain; Internet Archive · retrieved 30 September 2026sha256 86763f1a9e44d3245ec1fb057d0db333b85a135665d9511d4d45c677d8afea0f
  5. Rainfall Rescue, St Abb’s Head monthly rainfall (Hawkins et al.), v2.1.0CC BY 4.0; doi:10.5281/zenodo.5770390 · retrieved 30 September 2026sha256 d8529c6b9584d7be278a42a0231257bbac05125d2c34fa7977a0fd36d83077b9

The numbers on this page, as JSONThe method card, as JSON