The Baillie Family

The Baillie Family is a 1784 portrait painting by the British artist Thomas Gainsborough. A group portrait, it depicts the family of the Scottish merchant and politician James Baillie.^[1] The family were wealthy through their involvement in the West Indian plantation system and ownership of slaves. They lived at Ealing Grove mansion, then in Middlesex.^[2]

The Baillie Family
Artist	Thomas Gainsborough
Year	1784
Type	Oil on canvas, portrait painting
Dimensions	250 cm × 227.8 cm (98 in × 89.7 in)
Location	Tate Britain , London

This was one of the works that Gainsborough was due to show at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1784 at Somerset House in London]. Due a dispute over the hanging of another of his paintings The Three Eldest Princesses, all of Gainsborough submissions including The Baillie Family were withdrawn from display and he did not exhibit at the Royal Academy for the remainder of his career. ^[3]

The painting is today in the collection of the Tate Britain in Pimlico, having been bequeathed to the nation in 1868. ^[4]