Thomas Gainsborough started The Byam Family in the early 1760s, shortly after the wedding of George Byam and Louisa Bathurst, seen here strolling in a poetic landscape. Contemporary accounts indicate that the painting was still in Gainborough’s Bath studio in 1766 when the couple’s daughter, Selina, was added, and Louisa’s dress was repainted from pink to a fashionable blue. Fascinatingly, the original colour of the gown can still be seen in the child’s rosy red cheeks!
One of the most ambitious works made during the artist’s sixteen years in the West Country, this painting has returned to Bath after spending more than three months in an exhibition dedicated to Gainsborough at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. This large family portrait is now back up in our Brownsword Gallery, ready for visitors to enjoy when the Holburne Museum reopens.
Until we are able to welcome you back we hope you enjoy our online weekly art activities. For the week beginning 30 March our inspiration will be taken from the Byam Family. You can find out more about our Wednesday and Friday workshops here: Creativity4Wellbeing
