To many the negative actions of him has had long lasting effect. After all this was a time (1740-46) where Westminster was discussing plans to sterilise the women in the Highlands. People like him thought so little of 'these' Scots in a similar way they think of the Irish.
It comes as no surprise that the racial superiority they had was also adapted and easily used to justify African enslavement and the genocide of American tribes.
"Red-coated British soldiers scavenged the Highlands in its aftermath, burning villages, raping women, killing all the 'vermin', 'banditti' and 'scum' suspected of being rebels even those who had fought on the government side. One English officer wrote to Cumberland that several hundred homes were "burned already... [but] still so many more houses to burn" (11). Another reported that his troops had, "carriedfire and destruction as they passed, shooting the vagrant Highlanders that they met in the mountains and driving off their cattle".(12) The black cattle, the basis of the Highland economy, were driven to Fort William and sold onto Yorkshire traders in order to starve the people and devoid them of any means of support."
Back to the OP
She says:
"The fact that the Duke was such a politically controversial figure brings an unexpected and interesting dimension to the work and brings to light the issues I wanted to explore through this project."
Ignorance on 'the subject' of her art isn't a interesting dimension.
(11) James Hunter, Last of the Free, (1999) p.19
(12) James Hunter, The Other Side of Sorrow, (1995), p29-30
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