John Glassford and his Family: portrait redisplay

A new interpretation at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
close up of boy in background of oil painting

A young Black child, enslaved by Glasgow tobacco lord John Glassford, stands in this family portrait. Once obscured by dirt, he was revealed in 2007. Now, the painting is redisplayed at Kelvingrove with his story at the centre—challenging how we remember Glasgow’s ties to slavery.

 

 

 

The picture tells more than one story.
Quote from consultation about the portrait with Glasgow City Council Anti-Racist Conversations in Schools, a group made up of secondary school pupils from across the city.

Taking a closer look

Close up of the boy behind Glassford
John Glassford and his Family portrait

Uncovering hidden histories

When the painting entered the museum collection in 1950, records show the enslaved child was visible. Over time, dirt had obscured him.

In 2007, conservation work cleaned away the dirt confirming he had not been deliberately painted over.

During the era of transatlantic slavery, millions of Black men, women and children were enslaved in the Americas and Caribbean, some were also trafficked to Scotland. Their lives, like that of the unnamed child in this portrait, are rarely recorded in archives.

Reframing the narrative

The display was informed by meticulous research by Glasgow Life Museums’ staff and respected historians as well as community consultation. This led to an approach that places the enslaved child at the centre of interpretation, encouraging visitors to reflect on his perspective and lived reality.

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red sandstone building with street sign with the word Glassford Street
Glassford Street in Merchant City area of Glasgow
oil painting of man
Glassford solo portrait

Continuing the conversation

The redisplay of the Glassford Family Portrait builds on Glasgow Life Museums’ wider work to:

Address the city’s connections to the British Empire

Acknowledge the realities of enslavement and colonisation

Question how power shapes historical narratives

This work continues to challenge how we understand Glasgow’s history—and its legacies today.

close up of boy looking at the screen with an oil painting of a man behind him

Old painting, new narrative

Find out more from our Curator of Legacies of Slavery and Empire Nelson Cummins' blog post

Read it here

Discover more with talks, display and events

John Glassford and his Family, 1767. Archibald McLauchlan, Museum Accession Number 2887, Image © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums and Libraries Collections.

You can see John Glassford and his Family in the Glasgow Stories Gallery of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum from Friday 19 September.