Mr and Mrs Andrews
Encyclopedia
Mr and Mrs Andrews is an oil painting
of 1750 by the British artist Thomas Gainsborough
in the National Gallery, London
. Today it is one of his most famous works. It was purchased in 1960 with contributions from the Pilgrim Trust, The Art Fund, Associated Television Ltd, and Mr and Mrs W. W. Spooner. It is an oil painting
, on canvas
, and measures 69.8 by 119.4 cm.
Thomas Gainsborough was twenty-one when he painted Mr and Mrs Andrews in 1750. He himself had married pregnant Margaret Burr and returned to Sudbury, his home town, after an apprenticeship in London with the French artist Hubert-François Gravelot
, from whom he learnt the French rococo
style. There, he also picked up a love of landscapes in the Dutch style. However, landscape painting was far less prestigous and poorly paid compared to portraits and Gainsborough was forced (since the family business, a clothiers' in Sudbury, had been bankrupted in 1733) to "face paint" as he put it. Mr and Mrs Andrews contains the widest landscape of Gainsborough's portraits, and he would not return to such compositions. Future paintings would be set against neutral or typical rococo settings. It has been speculated that Gainsborough wished to show off his landscape ability to potential clients, to satisfy his personal preference, or his sitters' wishes.
in 1743, for which he gained the title "remembrancer". He lived in Grosvenor Square
(in Mayfair
, London
) and also owned ships and engaged in trade with the colonies of the British Empire
. Robert himself was born in 1726, and went to Oxford University. His father purchased him an estate, and secured a bride, in a successful attempt to integrate Robert into the upper classes. In 1763, after his father's death, he would take over the family business. He had eight children.
The woman sitting beside him is Frances Mary Carter, who was betrothed to Andrews at 15 or 16 years old. They were married in Sudbury
, Suffolk
, on November 10, 1748: he was 22, she 16. Like many marriages of the time, there was more than an element of a business deal about the whole endeavour; the Aubries estate, where the painting was created, bordered her father's Ballingdon Estate and was probably part of her dowry
. Her family had made their money in the drapery business, and by buying the estate avoided the collapse of the textile industry. By the time the work was commissioned, it was owned by Andrews.
The oak tree
in front of which the couple stand has several connotations beyond the choice of location: stability and continuity, and a sense of successive generations taking over the family business. The landed gentry had even been compared to the oak, holding Britain together.
The neat parallel rows of corn produced by Jethro Tull
's revolutionary and controversial seed drill
show that this is a thoroughly modern and efficient farm. Andrew’s estate, Auberies, is sited in Bulmer Tye
, North Essex
, just a few miles across the county border from Gainsborough’s native county of Suffolk
. The small tower in the left background of the piece is St. Peters Church in Sudbury
. The church in the middle of the piece is that of All Saints, Little Cornard
, very close to Gainsborough's hometown of Sudbury. The oak tree is still extant, though considerably larger.
John Berger
once commented that Mr and Mrs Andrews, were "not a couple in nature as Rousseau imagined nature. They are landowners and their proprietary attitude towards what surrounds them is visible in their stance and expressions." (He is referring to the beliefs of Jean Jacques Rousseau.)
Far from stressing the links between the sitters and their setting, some critics believe that Mr and Mrs Andrews are set against the natural world in which they appear. For them, the choice of Mrs Andrews' clothing is at odds with the natural scene, and inappropriate. Mr Andrews is harsh, and complete with shotgun, brutal. Similarly, Gainsborough's positioning of the couple is an indication that they are not at home with the scene. They see Gainsborough's early work as satirical. Gainsborough's dislike of the upper classes was well known. For them, the large amount of canvas set aside for the landscape was a way for him to spend time painting what he liked.
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
of 1750 by the British artist Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Suffolk:Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was the youngest son of John Gainsborough, a weaver and maker of woolen goods. At the age of thirteen he impressed his father with his penciling skills so that he let...
in the National Gallery, London
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
. Today it is one of his most famous works. It was purchased in 1960 with contributions from the Pilgrim Trust, The Art Fund, Associated Television Ltd, and Mr and Mrs W. W. Spooner. It is an oil painting
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
, on canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
, and measures 69.8 by 119.4 cm.
Thomas Gainsborough was twenty-one when he painted Mr and Mrs Andrews in 1750. He himself had married pregnant Margaret Burr and returned to Sudbury, his home town, after an apprenticeship in London with the French artist Hubert-François Gravelot
Hubert-François Gravelot
Hubert-François Bourguignon, commonly known as Gravelot , was a French engraver, a famous book illustrator, designer and drawing-master...
, from whom he learnt the French rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
style. There, he also picked up a love of landscapes in the Dutch style. However, landscape painting was far less prestigous and poorly paid compared to portraits and Gainsborough was forced (since the family business, a clothiers' in Sudbury, had been bankrupted in 1733) to "face paint" as he put it. Mr and Mrs Andrews contains the widest landscape of Gainsborough's portraits, and he would not return to such compositions. Future paintings would be set against neutral or typical rococo settings. It has been speculated that Gainsborough wished to show off his landscape ability to potential clients, to satisfy his personal preference, or his sitters' wishes.
Scene
Robert Andrews, the male sitter, was a member of the landed gentry, and this is very much apparent in Gainsborough's work. Although it is probable the family money came from being a landlord, Robert's father also lent substantial amounts of money, particularly to other gentry, at significant interest rates. This included the sum of £30,000 to Frederick, Prince of WalesFrederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales was a member of the House of Hanover and therefore of the Hanoverian and later British Royal Family, the eldest son of George II and father of George III, as well as the great-grandfather of Queen Victoria...
in 1743, for which he gained the title "remembrancer". He lived in Grosvenor Square
Grosvenor Square
Grosvenor Square is a large garden square in the exclusive Mayfair district of London, England. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from their surname, "Grosvenor".-History:...
(in Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) and also owned ships and engaged in trade with the colonies of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. Robert himself was born in 1726, and went to Oxford University. His father purchased him an estate, and secured a bride, in a successful attempt to integrate Robert into the upper classes. In 1763, after his father's death, he would take over the family business. He had eight children.
Sudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, on November 10, 1748: he was 22, she 16. Like many marriages of the time, there was more than an element of a business deal about the whole endeavour; the Aubries estate, where the painting was created, bordered her father's Ballingdon Estate and was probably part of her dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
. Her family had made their money in the drapery business, and by buying the estate avoided the collapse of the textile industry. By the time the work was commissioned, it was owned by Andrews.
The oak tree
Oak Tree
Oak Tree may refer to:*Oak, the tree*Oak Tree, County Durham, a village in County Durham, England*The Oaktree Foundation, a youth-run aid and development agency*Oak Tree National, golf club in Edmond, Oklahoma...
in front of which the couple stand has several connotations beyond the choice of location: stability and continuity, and a sense of successive generations taking over the family business. The landed gentry had even been compared to the oak, holding Britain together.
The neat parallel rows of corn produced by Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (agriculturist)
Jethro Tull was an English agricultural pioneer who helped bring about the British Agricultural Revolution. He perfected a horse-drawn seed drill in 1701 that economically sowed the seeds in neat rows, and later a horse-drawn hoe...
's revolutionary and controversial seed drill
Seed drill
A seed drill is a sowing device that precisely positions seeds in the soil and then covers them. Before the introduction of the seed drill, the common practice was to plant seeds by hand. Besides being wasteful, planting was very imprecise and led to a poor distribution of seeds, leading to low...
show that this is a thoroughly modern and efficient farm. Andrew’s estate, Auberies, is sited in Bulmer Tye
Bulmer, Essex
Bulmer or Bulmer Tye is a village and civil parish in the Braintree district of Essex, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 568. The village is about 4 miles south-west of Sudbury in Suffolk.-External links:...
, North Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, just a few miles across the county border from Gainsborough’s native county of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. The small tower in the left background of the piece is St. Peters Church in Sudbury
Sudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
. The church in the middle of the piece is that of All Saints, Little Cornard
Little Cornard
Little Cornard is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Located around from its larger sibling, Great Cornard, on the B1057 road between Sudbury and Colchester, it is part of Babergh district, and has a population of 305. The parish also includes the hamlet of Workhouse Green.The...
, very close to Gainsborough's hometown of Sudbury. The oak tree is still extant, though considerably larger.
Critical reception
Mr and Mrs Andrews has been used in human geography and culture analysis. In both cases, it is often the reflection of social status which is analysed. The medium itself, oil-on-canvas, is seen as a symbol of high social class, prestigious, and out of the range of the majority. The choice to commission Gainsborough to produce the work has been seen as explicitly intended to secure and reproduce the Andrews' social position through the artwork itself. It is possible to examine the painting in the context of the relationship of the Andrews to their land, from which they derived their income, and their political power, since suffrage was linked to land ownership. Mr and Mrs Andrews is often put into this legal context. There is a distinct lack of land-workers in the painting, and it is often commented that some of the happiness of the Andrews that is derived from the work is from seeing themselves as landowners. Marxist art criticArt critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
John Berger
John Berger
John Peter Berger is an English art critic, novelist, painter and author. His novel G. won the 1972 Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism Ways of Seeing, written as an accompaniment to a BBC series, is often used as a university text.-Education:Born in Hackney, London, England, Berger was...
once commented that Mr and Mrs Andrews, were "not a couple in nature as Rousseau imagined nature. They are landowners and their proprietary attitude towards what surrounds them is visible in their stance and expressions." (He is referring to the beliefs of Jean Jacques Rousseau.)
Far from stressing the links between the sitters and their setting, some critics believe that Mr and Mrs Andrews are set against the natural world in which they appear. For them, the choice of Mrs Andrews' clothing is at odds with the natural scene, and inappropriate. Mr Andrews is harsh, and complete with shotgun, brutal. Similarly, Gainsborough's positioning of the couple is an indication that they are not at home with the scene. They see Gainsborough's early work as satirical. Gainsborough's dislike of the upper classes was well known. For them, the large amount of canvas set aside for the landscape was a way for him to spend time painting what he liked.