The Byam Family by Thomas Gainsborough

The Byam Family by Gainsborough is a large, life size portrait which was painted in 1762. It is an important work of art, a copy of which hangs imposingly in the Adderley at Marlborough College. The original painting was initially gifted on loan to the College by descendants of the Byam family in 1942, and then in 1955 the painting was donated to the school. In 1999, the painting was sold for approximately £3 million in order to raise funds for new facilities at the College.

This family portrait celebrates the wealthy and extravagant George Byam with his wife Louisa and their daughter Selina (who was only added to the painting four years after the initial completion, once she was old enough to be included). Renowned for his portrayals of the landscape portrait genre, Gainsborough focuses here predominantly on the leafy green English countryside and silvery sky, upon which the figures appear grafted, almost as an afterthought. The charming estate that our attention is being ushered towards via George Byam’s outstretched arm, owed itself to a Caribbean slave plantation that fuelled the Byams’ financial success in the 18th Century.

There are several hints throughout the composition of the painting towards the vast extent of the family’s wealth. For example, it would not have been common at the time for men to wear such ornate, gold threaded waistcoats as George Byam, unless they were of the highest social class and affluent descent. Just as Louisa’s clothing entails an intricate system of frills and fabrics. Gainsborough would have disapproved of such indulgence; coming from a non-conformist family of protestants, he believed in egalitarianism.

The family is portrayed strolling in a poetic landscape, demonstrating their sensibility and appreciation as admirers of nature. This lends an element of the promenade portrait genre, which is reminiscent of the romantic fashion for people to parade along the sea front, in order to see and be seen.

The concern for social acceptance is also evident behind the scenes. It is hardly obvious – due to Gainsborough’s expert handling of paint – but Louisa Byam has had a closet upgrade between revisions of the painting. When little Selena was added to the family portrait in 1766, Louisa decided she wanted to present the most sophisticated, fashionable and modern version of herself, so she changed from the ‘outdated’, pale pink dress to a much more fashionable and glamorous garment. This not only shows the general concern by upper class citizens to distinguish themselves from their supposed ‘inferiors’; but also enforces the gender stereotype that women cared more about their outward appearance than men.

This leads me onto the topic of gender identity and how it is apparent in Gainsborough’s painting. Predictably we see George Byam elegantly and gently leading his family into the landscape that celebrates his fortune. He is the first person we see and takes up the most space, with his arm pointing in the direction of travel. Louisa puts her absolute trust in his arms (literally) and both female characters appear relaxed and comfortable under his leadership. Louisa’s expertise is with childcare, so she takes her daughter’s hand to show that this is her role within the family – most likely as it would have been for most households at the time. The delicacy of Louisa’s footwear and foot size lends to the stereotyping in the painting – as George wears much more sturdy, robust clothing, possibly the only one dressed in a mildly appropriate manner for their expedition into the muddy, English countryside.

This portrayal of male superiority was of course the gender norm in this time and society, as was the acceptance of the source of the family’s enormous wealth. The Byam family were landowners in Antigua, with sugar plantations worked by slave labour. They “owned” 132 slaves and were among the wealthiest families on the island. Hence this work of art itself was funded directly from the profits of slave labour. Although the Slavery Abolition Act was passed in 1833, the topic continues to be at the forefront of controversy today. It is easy now to pass judgement on how the funds realised from the sale of this painting were indeed tainted by their origins. However, we can hope that this donation has helped to improve the awareness and education of pupils within Marlborough College so that we can ensure that such injustices never happen again within our society.