The Blue Boy
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
The Blue Boy is a full-length portrait by Thomas Gainsborough, painted around 1770 and showing a young man in a striking blue satin suit styled roughly a century out of date at the time it was painted[1]. The sitter is generally identified as Jonathan Buttall, the son of a family friend of Gainsborough's, though the costume itself, rather than any specific likeness, does much of the picture's work: Gainsborough was using the painting to demonstrate what colour, costume and design could achieve within a single composition[1]. Gainsborough began his career painting landscapes and struggled to make a living from them before turning to portraiture, where his delicate brushwork and rich, glistening colour made him the leading rival to Sir Joshua Reynolds as the favourite portrait painter of English high society[2]. By 1769 that reputation had earned him a place as a founding member of the Royal Academy[1]. The Blue Boy later left Britain for the United States and is now held at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California[1].
Where it is held
Held at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, United States.
The painting is held at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.
A costume out of its own time
Gainsborough dressed his sitter in blue satin styled after fashions roughly a century out of date by the time the portrait was painted, a deliberate historical costume rather than contemporary dress[1]. This kind of anachronistic, Van Dyck-inspired clothing was a recognisable device: Gainsborough was demonstrating his command of colour, costume and design within a single figure, treating the painting as much as a showpiece of technique as a record of a specific young man[1]. The sitter, generally identified as Jonathan Buttall, the son of a family friend, reads less as an individual likeness and more as an occasion for Gainsborough to display everything his brush could do.
From struggling landscapist to society's favourite portraitist
Gainsborough had begun his career painting landscapes and found it difficult to earn a living from them, a frustration that pushed him toward portraiture even though landscape remained his real preference throughout his life[2]. His delicate brushwork and rich, glistening colour, applied to the shining silks, buckles, fragile lace and starched ruffles fashionable in eighteenth-century dress, made him the leading rival to Sir Joshua Reynolds for the position of favourite portrait painter among English high society[2]. Both painters resented, in their own ways, being smothered with portrait commissions when they wanted to paint other subjects: Reynolds longed for the time to paint ambitious mythological and historical scenes, while Gainsborough simply wanted to return to landscape, the genre his rival looked down on[4].
A founding member of the Royal Academy
By 1769 Gainsborough's reputation had grown enough to secure him a place as a founding member of the Royal Academy the following year, a mark of the national stature he had achieved through his portrait work[1]. Even so, his relationship with the institution remained uneasy for the rest of his career: he did not exhibit there regularly, frustrated by how his paintings were hung, a tension that ran alongside the broader discomfort he felt at being pressed, again and again, into portraiture rather than the landscapes he preferred[3].
Common questions
Who is the sitter in The Blue Boy?
He is generally identified as Jonathan Buttall, the son of a family friend of Gainsborough's, though the painting functions more as a demonstration of technique than a documentary likeness[1].
When was The Blue Boy painted?
It was painted around 1770[1].
Why is the boy's costume old-fashioned?
Gainsborough dressed him in blue satin styled after fashions roughly a century out of date, a historical costume meant to show off his skill with colour and design rather than record contemporary dress[1].
Where is The Blue Boy displayed today?
It is held at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California[1].
Sources
Editorial draws on the following references, verified against the museum and public-domain image record for this work.
- [1] book Allison Lee Palmer, Historical Dictionary of Neoclassical Art and Architecture Used for: this artwork.
- [2] book McGraw-Hill, Art In Focus Used for: this artwork.
- [3] book Jennifer D. Milam, Historical Dictionary of Rococo Art Used for: this artwork.
- [4] book Gombrich, E. H. (Ernst Hans), 1909-2001, The story of art Used for: this artwork.
- [5] book Titia Hulst (editor), A History of the Western Art Market _ A Sourcebook of Writings on Artists, Dealers, and Markets Used for: this artwork.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-09-03. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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