Who were Pinky and Blue Boy?

Pinkie is the traditional title for a portrait made in 1794 by Thomas Lawrence in the permanent collection of the Huntington Library at San Marino, California where it hangs opposite The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough. The title now given it by the museum is Sarah Goodin Barrett Moulton: “Pinkie”.

What does The Blue Boy represent?

Although the identity of the boy is unknown, he is thought to be a family friend of the artist, Jonathan Buttall. If the blue boy is really Jonathan Buttall, royalty would be out of the question, even though the color blue is typically symbolic of royalty.

Where is the original Blue Boy?

the Huntington Library
The Blue Boy (c. 1770) is a full-length portrait in oil by Thomas Gainsborough, now at the Huntington Library, San Marino, California….

Are Blue Boy paintings worth anything?

Henry Huntington bought the paintings in the 1920’s. “The Blue Boy” was bought for a record breaking price at the time, and while the price is debated, it was probably $640,000. Today that would be over $8.5 million.

Who was The Blue Boy in the painting?

Jonathan Buttall
The painting, which depicts a young man in a blue satin suit set against a moody country landscape, is thought to be of Jonathan Buttall, the son of a wealthy merchant. It was bought and taken to the US by the railway pioneer Henry Edwards Huntington.

What is Blue Boy worth?

When was the Blue Boy and the pinkie painted?

Today we thought it would be fun to give some background and trivia on the paintings “The Blue Boy” and “Pinkie”. These famous paintings are more interesting than you might have realized! Both of these paintings were painted with oil on canvas, and are full length portraits painted in the 18th century.

What was the price of the Blue Boy?

“The Blue Boy” was bought for a record breaking price at the time, and while the price is debated, it was probably $640,000. Today that would be over $8.5 million. “Pinkie” was one of the last purchases made by Henry Huntington before his death. The paintings were not associated with each other until Huntington had purchased them.

Who is the girl in the Blue Boy painting?

The girl in the painting is Sarah Barrett Moulton. In her family, her nickname was “Pinkie” or “Pinkey”. She was just 11 years old when the painting was made. It was by her Grandmother’s request that the painting was commissioned.

Which is better pinkie or the Blue Boy?

Probably nothing, their histories remain invisible. These paintings have crossed over from portraits of real people to decorative pictures. Truth be told, The Blue Boy is a far superior painting than Pinkie and it seems almost unbelievable that people can misconstrue the idea that they were painted by the same artist.