Thomas Lister and Family at Gisburne Park 1740 - 1741

Arthur Devis painted Thomas Lister and Family at Gisburne Park using oil paint, a mixture of pigment and oil, carefully applied to a woven canvas. Look closely and you will see how Devis's technique gives us more than just an image. The artist paid particular attention to the family's clothing. It shows the textures of silk, wool, and leather, all of which were possible because of England's growing textile industries. Consider the labor involved in producing these materials - from farmers raising sheep to weavers operating looms. Even the leisurely poses of the Lister family speak to their wealth, a wealth derived from their land and, by extension, from the labor of those who worked it. The painting's smooth surface and carefully rendered details reflect the artist's skill, but also the social and economic context in which he worked. It reminds us that even seemingly straightforward images can tell complex stories about labor, class, and consumption in 18th-century England.