Gainsborough's House facts for kids

Gainsborough's House in Sudbury, England.

Gainsborough's House is where the famous English painter Thomas Gainsborough was born. Today, it's a museum and art gallery. You can find it at 46 Gainsborough Street in Sudbury, England. This old building is very important, so it's called a Grade I listed building. Some of the artworks you see there were bought with help from the Art Fund.

About Gainsborough's House

This house, now known as 46 Gainsborough Street, is very old. It was built around the year 1520. Thomas Gainsborough's parents, John and Mary Gainsborough, likely moved here in 1722. Their son, Thomas, was born five years later in 1727.

Thomas was the youngest of their nine children. He grew up in this house and went to Sudbury Grammar School. When he was 13, he moved to London to continue his art studies. There, he learned from a French painter named Hubert-Francois Gravelot.

The house was a private home until 1920. After that, it became a guest house and an antique shop. In 1958, a group called the Gainsborough's House Society was created. They bought the house to turn it into a museum. This museum would honor Thomas Gainsborough. The museum first opened its doors to visitors in 1961.

The House's Long History

The oldest part of the house you can still see is the oak doorway. This doorway leads into the entrance room. It might be as old as 1490.

The house has changed over many years. Its original parts, like the Entrance Hall, were built around 1500. The oak doorway was probably the first front door. It led straight from the street into the Entrance Hall.

Around 1600, another house was built next door. The Parlour, which is across the hall from the Entrance Hall, is the only part of this second house that remains. However, this room has been changed a lot over time.

Old houses like this were often built with a frame of strong oak beams. The spaces between these beams were filled with a type of plaster. This plaster was made from clay soil mixed with reeds. It was called wattle and daub. This material was cheap and strong when dry. However, it could shrink in dry weather or soak up water when it rained.

Inside, the walls would have had oak panels, usually up to chair height. The rest of the walls were plastered and covered with wallpaper or painted designs. By the 1700s, the wooden beams inside the house were usually hidden. The floors, which were once just packed earth, were then covered with oak planks.

Gainsborough's parents bought the house in 1722 for £230. It stayed in their family until 1792. When the house was sold, it was described as a "most excellent Brickt Mansion." It had many rooms and two long buildings. There was also an orchard with fruit trees and a flower garden. The whole property was about two acres.

After 1920, the house became a guest house and tearoom. People could have lunch and tea there. It also hosted wedding parties. The garden was often open in the summer. Guests could enjoy tea and even play on the two tennis courts. Photos from that time show the house was very popular.

After the Second World War, the house was used for different things. For a while, it was an antique shop. In the mid-1950s, an art dealer named Mr. Doward bought the house. He wanted to live there, but his wife did not want to move to Sudbury. So, in 1956, the house was put up for sale again.

The Museum's Beginning

People like Michael Harvard, Aubrey Herbert, and Sir Alfred Munnings first showed interest in saving the house. By October 1956, a special committee was formed. It was called the Gainsborough's House National Appeal Committee. The Mayor of Sudbury, Councillor Arthur Essex, led this committee. It brought together local business people, politicians, and art lovers.

The committee asked everyone in the community for help. From the start, the house was meant to be a place for the arts. It would also be a museum and a tribute to Gainsborough. They raised money by placing collection boxes in local hotels and art galleries across the country.

Artists were very supportive. Sir Alfred Munnings, a famous artist, wanted to encourage others to donate. In 1957, he gave £1,500. This money came from selling his painting of the Queen's horse, Aureole. The house was bought on January 20, 1958, for £5,250. By September, the Gainsborough's House Society was officially set up. It would run the museum as a charity.

After buying the building, local companies and people helped. They gave materials and their time to fix up the house and garden. The museum officially opened on April 12, 1961.

When the museum opened in 1961, it didn't have its own permanent collection. People were asked to donate or lend artworks, furniture, and items related to Gainsborough. This included two of Gainsborough's drawings, teapots, and a 17th-century chair. Some items loaned in 1961 are still on display today. For example, five pieces of furniture from the V&A museum are there. Also, six portraits by Gainsborough, first loaned by Lord de Saumarez, have since been bought by the museum.

Fundraising continued over the years. Major building work happened in 1967. There was a plan for the National Trust to take over the house, but this idea was later dropped. More recently, over £1 million was raised to fix up the cottages, the main house, and the garden. This work was done from 2005 to 2007. In 2000, a "Friends" group was started. They help with fundraising and organize social events.

Since the 1950s, artists have been inspired by the house and its beautiful walled garden. The image of this historic house is often used to promote the museum.

The museum had a big update starting in 2019. This was a £10 million project. The National Centre for Thomas Gainsborough was improved with new galleries and exhibition spaces. This work was supported by the Heritage Fund. The updated gallery space re-opened to the public on November 21, 2022.

Who Was Thomas Gainsborough?

In the 1700s, painting landscapes (pictures of nature) was not seen as important as painting portraits. However, Gainsborough was special. He often combined landscapes and portraits in his art. He was the first important British artist to paint landscapes regularly. These natural scenes were perfect for his artistic style.

While Gainsborough sold some landscapes, he earned more money from portraits. In the 1760s, he became very busy painting portraits. He was always trying new things with his art. He used many different drawing and printmaking methods. Later in his life, he also painted mythological scenes and "fancy" pictures. These told more of a story. Gainsborough's painting methods were very good, and his artworks have lasted well. People admire his flowing brushstrokes and how natural his paintings look.

Gainsborough went to Sudbury Grammar School. At 13, he moved to London to study art further. He trained with the French artist Hubert-Francois Gravelot. He also spent time with other artists in London, like William Hogarth and Francis Hayman. Their decorative style and new type of informal portrait, called a 'conversation piece', influenced young Gainsborough.

In 1749, after he married Margaret Burr and his father died, he came back to Sudbury. He made a small living painting portraits of local wealthy people. These early portraits were sometimes a bit stiff. But they showed his talent for capturing a person's look and personality. At the same time, he painted landscapes. These were inspired by the Suffolk countryside, but they were rarely exact views of real places. His early landscapes looked like Dutch paintings from the 1600s. They showed careful detail and precise techniques.

By 1752, Gainsborough had probably painted most of the people he could in Sudbury. So, he moved to Ipswich, a busy port town. There, he had more chances to grow as an artist. He met more demanding clients.

In 1759, Gainsborough made a big move to Bath. Bath was a fast-growing spa town. It became an important social center for rich and fashionable people. They went there to see doctors or to have their portraits painted.

In Bath, more important and wealthy people wanted him to paint their portraits. His larger studio allowed him to paint full-length portraits on a grand scale. He kept painting landscapes in Bath. He also took trips to sketch the countryside. These later landscapes were more imaginary and dream-like, moving away from the Dutch style. Gainsborough became more confident as a painter from the 1760s onwards. This was partly because he had richer clients. He also saw paintings by other famous artists like Van Dyck and Rubens in large collections.

In 1768, the Royal Academy was started in London. This gave artists an official place in society. Gainsborough was one of its first members. His rival, Sir Joshua Reynolds, was its first President. This might have encouraged Gainsborough to move to London in 1774. However, his relationship with the Academy was not easy. By 1783, he stopped showing his art at their yearly exhibitions.

In London, he lived in Schomberg House on Pall Mall. He held exhibitions in his studio there. His later portraits became more imaginative and graceful. He often used thin paint applied in light, feathery strokes. The 'Cottage Door' was a common theme in his work. He also created new, more dramatic landscapes, especially after visiting the Lake District in 1783. In his last ten years, Gainsborough started painting mythological or 'fancy' pictures. These were very important to him. He thought his painting "The Woodman" (which was later destroyed by fire) was his best work. Gainsborough died of cancer on August 2, 1788. He is buried in Kew Churchyard.

See also

• English art
• Hugh Belsey
• List of British painters
• List of single-artist museums
• Western painting