Story of enslaved boy featured in 1748 Joshua Reynolds portrait emerges in new study
Key takeaways
- The painting, completed in about 1748, shows the boy and his ‘master’, the naval officer and MP Paul Henry Ourry.
- Prefer the Guardian on GoogleFor hundreds of years, he was known only as “Jersey”, an enslaved boy of about 11 rendered in oil on canvas by the great 18th-century portrait painter Sir Joshua Reynolds.
- But now the life of the youngster, believed to be Reynolds’ earliest depiction of a person of colour, has begun to emerge, thanks to a research project.
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
The painting, completed in about 1748, shows the boy and his ‘master’, the naval officer and MP Paul Henry Ourry. Photograph: Matthew Hollow/National Trust View image in fullscreen. The painting, completed in about 1748, shows the boy and his ‘master’, the naval officer and MP Paul Henry Ourry. Photograph: Matthew Hollow/National Trust Slavery Story of enslaved boy featured in 1748 Joshua Reynolds portrait emerges in new study Exclusive: Until now nothing was known about ‘Jersey’, depicted with naval officer, but research raises hopes he may have won freedom
Prefer the Guardian on GoogleFor hundreds of years, he was known only as “Jersey”, an enslaved boy of about 11 rendered in oil on canvas by the great 18th-century portrait painter Sir Joshua Reynolds.
But now the life of the youngster, believed to be Reynolds’ earliest depiction of a person of colour, has begun to emerge, thanks to a research project.