The son of James Reid Pringle, John McPherson Pringle was studying medicine in Paris when he contracted influenza and died. Fraser has employed Pringle's fashionable dress to make this an interesting likeness. The wide black collar, cravat, and hairstyle set off Pringle's somewhat long face, which is accentuated by the oval format. For 1834 the Fraser account book lists: "Dr. John Pringle . . . $40."