ea Essential ee eeroteeer eel CHARLES RENNIE VEG UGK oemESSENTIAL CHARLES RENNIE MACKINTOSH * CHARLES RENNIE MACKINTOSH 1868-1928 Portrart Courtesy of T: & R. Annan & Sons IN 1893, when this photograph was taken, Mackintosh’s life was changing, The son of a police clerk, he was now an architect with the Glasgow firm of Honeyman and Keppie. This was the year in which he had his first large commission, the design of new warehousing for the prestigious local newspaper the Glasgow Herald. He also designed his first suite of furniture as a wedding present for his friend David Gauld. In the evenings he also found time to attend classes at the Glasgow School of Art, since he was already convinced that the worlds of art, architecture and craft were interlinked and inseparable. ‘Mackintosh was at this time engaged to Jessie Keppie, whose brother John was a partner at his firm. Jessie attended the School of Art during the day and was probably the one who introduced Mackintosh and his friend Herbert McNair to the Immortals, a group of young women art students. Among these students were ‘Margaret and Frances Macdonald, two sisters who were to have a profound influence ‘on Mackintosh’s and McNair’ lives and careers. In this photograph, Mackintosh deliberately presents himself not as a professional working architect but as an artist, the loose cravat, the self-conscious kiss curl on his forehead, and the wistful gaze all consciously announcing his new identity.