Born Dundee, Scotland, Adamson studied in England. He was a painter and illustrator in London and New York, working internationally for Harper's, Century, Scribner's, and other magazines. In 1899-1900, he accompanied the American troops to the Philippines and China for Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly. He exhibited at the National Academy of Design (NY) in 1906, and at the Royal Academy (London) in 1908. He was art editor of the British magazine The Idler. He often depicted Scottish life. Adamson was the brother of illustrator Penrhyn Stanlaws
Sources:
Picture Posters, by Charles Hiatt (London: George Bell and Sons,1896).
Benezit Dictionary of British Graphic Artists and Illustrators, volume 2. Stephen Bury, editor (Oxford University Press, 2012)
