Researchers identify identity of slave portrayed in 18th century painting

Investigadores Britons have finally answered a question that has intrigued art historians for centuries. The boy portrayed by painter Joshua Reynolds in 1748 was not a fictional character, but a real person. Pesquisadores from National Trust, National Gallery and Royal Museum Greenwich discovered he was called Boston Jersey, later baptized as George Walker at age 15.

The painting shows a young man elegantly dressed in a navy blue coat, red waistcoat and white embroidered turban, standing next to Paul Henry Orley, lieutenant of Marinha Real Britânica. Durante centuries, its identity remained a mystery in British heritage collections.

Documentos public reveals name and origin

Researchers discovered Boston Jersey’s full name by meticulously analyzing British government documents, contemporary letters and the crew’s logbook. The surname “Jersey” possibly originated because Paul Henry Orley was born St. Helier, on the island of Jersey, in the Ilhas archipelago of Canal. Orley’s family, Huguenots (French Calvinists), had fled França to escape religious persecution.

Boston Jersey may have lived in Massachusetts before coming to Inglaterra. The July 30, 1752 baptism record in the chapel of Westminster, Londres, states: “A black boy known as Boston Jersey, George Walker, was baptized at the age of 15.” The certificate suggests he was approximately 11 years old when Reynolds completed the portrait.

Segundo Mark Brasche, historical geographer and Universidade volunteer researcher of Plymouth, the logbook contained the boy’s full name. The origin of his first name remains uncertain, although scholars believe he received the surname Jersey as a reference to his employer’s home island. Era common practice in the early 18th century to send African boys under the age of 10 to Inglaterra to work as domestic servants in wealthy families.

Carreira naval proves existence as a real person

The investigation revealed that Boston Jersey was not just a figurehead on the screen. Registros of Marinha Real Britânica document his royal naval career. Ele sailed with Tenente Orley on 3 different ships for more than 5 years, proving his existence as an individual with his own life story.

A crew list from 1751 indicates that Jersey was promoted from Marinheiro of Segunda Classe to Marinheiro of Primeira Classe while aboard HMS Monmouth in December 1748. Earlier Registros listed him as assistant to Orley, but in later documents he appears alongside other crew members scheduled to leave the ship according to payroll to settle back wages.

Isso suggests that Jersey received a salary from Marinha Real. Contudo, Historian Brasche notes that it is also possible that the unpaid salary was credited to Orley. The last clue to her whereabouts is a departure log from another British ship, the Dettford, in August 1753, presumably from the port of Mahon on the island of Menorca.

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Técnicas scientists reveal Reynolds’s artistic process

Pesquisadores used advanced technologies to examine how Reynolds created the work:

• Tomografias X-ray revealed hidden details
• Fotografia Infrared Reflection Exposed Paint Layers
• Microscopia Surface Evaluated Material Properties
• Análise chemistry of paint samples was conducted

Scientific investigations indicate that the representation of Jersey is likely inaccurate. Análises X-ray images show that Reynolds sketched Orley’s head before painting it completely, while Jersey’s was not sketched. Isso suggests that Jersey was not depicted as a seated living model for the painting, but was possibly depicted in a subordinate position.

Reynolds also substantially modified the background of the work. Inicialmente, sketched lush branches as a natural decorative element, but later replaced them with a plain brown background. According to Zoe Shearman, National Trust’s property manager at Saltram House, Reynolds has made changes to the areas where the two characters meet. The original Jersey held a red cloth that was modified.

18th century artistic Contexto

Shearman points out that 18th-century painters often included people of color in portraits of wealthy white individuals to impart glamor and highlight the main sitter’s elevated status. Algumas of these depictions portrayed fictional characters. Therefore, it was not necessarily true that the black model actually existed in all cases.

“That’s why it’s really important to start the work of substantiating this and bringing to light the story behind it,” Shearman told CNN. The discovery of documentation about Boston Jersey, or George Walker, represents a significant advance in understanding the everyday lives of black people in 18th-century Grã Britain.

Segundo Shearman, the investigation is just the beginning. Pesquisadores hope to discover more information about Boston Jersey in the future, expanding knowledge about his life after 1753 and his historical legacy.