In 1786 the poet, Robert Burns, and James Nasmyth's father Alexander, visited Roslin Castle, a few miles south of Edinburgh. As the artist James Nasmyth describes, "This picture was painted by me ...

In 1874, James Nasmyth and James Carpenter published ... Though exquisite works of art, Nasmyth's images are not perfect in one vital aspect: Their vertical elevation is greatly overestimated.