The Garden Museum in London has launched a campaign to raise £420,000 ($560,000) to acquire the earliest known portrait of a Black British gardener, John Ystumllyn. Painted by an unknown artist in 1754, the work depicts Ystumllyn as a young man in a blue suit and waistcoat. He was abducted from West Africa as a child, trained as a gardener on the Ystumllyn estate in Wales, and later became a renowned horticulturist. The painting has been on loan to the museum since 2023, and the institution aims to permanently display it alongside another portrait of a Black gardener from 1905.
This acquisition matters because it preserves a rare historical record of a Black figure in British gardening history, challenging predominantly white narratives of the field. John Ystumllyn’s story has gained cultural resonance in recent years, inspiring a rose variety planted by Queen Elizabeth II and influencing a Burberry coat worn at the Met Gala. Securing the portrait for a public collection ensures his legacy remains accessible and highlights the contributions of people of color to British horticulture.