Garden Museum Campaigns to Acquire Earliest Known Portrait of Black British Gardener

The Garden Museum in London has initiated a fundraising effort to gather £420,000 ($560,000) for the acquisition of the earliest known portrait of a Black British gardener, John Ystumllyn. This artwork, created by an unidentified artist in 1754, portrays Ystumllyn as a teenager in a blue suit and waistcoat. Since 2023, the painting has been on loan to the museum, which plans to display it permanently alongside Harold Gilman's 1905 piece, 'Portrait of a Black Gardener,' obtained in 2013. Ystumllyn was taken from West Africa at eight years old to the Ystumllyn estate in Criccieth, Wales, where he was trained as a gardener. He married Margaret Gruffydd, fathered seven children, and passed away in 1786. His legacy includes a rose variety planted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 2022 and inspiration for a Burberry coat worn by Lewis Hamilton at the 2024 Met Gala. Additionally, the museum is conducting a research project led by Edward Adonteng.