Below Stairs: 400 Years of Servants' Portraits

by Giles Waterfield

"Below Stairs" is a study of servant portraiture in Britain and is illustrated with works by Hogarth, Gainsborough and Stubbs. Continuing the examination of traditional domestic life explored in the films "Gosford Park" and "Remains of the Day", "Below Stairs" is also the subject of a BBC Four documentary. Featuring portraits of all ranks of servant the book illustrates the shifting organisation of households through the centuries, and the highly complex relationships between employers and employees. Traditionally, portraiture in Britain has concentrated on recording the upper classes and the celebrated. Instead, "Below Stairs" explores the representation of the servant, be it in a grand or modest household, in the country or in the town, at the royal courts or at colleges and clubs. This groundbreaking selection of paintings and photographs tells a fascinating story about power, class and human relationships spanning over 400 years of social and economic history.

Genres: Art History, Historical, History, Nonfiction

212 pages, Paperback

First published July 12, 2003

About the author

Giles Waterfield was an independent curator and writer, Director of Royal Collection Studies and Associate Lecturer at the Courtauld Institute of Art. He was formerly Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery. He was a trustee of the Charleston Trust and a member of the National Trust Arts Panel and the Advisory Panel of the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

Giles curated exhibitions including Art Treasures of England and The Artist’s Studio. His publications include Soane and After, Palaces of Art, Art for the People, and Art Treasures of England. He delivered the Paul Mellon Lectures on regional museums in Victorian Britain in 2007 and his book The People's Galleries will be published in 2015. He published four novels.

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been watching Downton Abbey on PBS for the last couple of months.
I love Julian Fellows and he wrote the intro to this book.
This book truly explained the emergence of servants in England.
The footman description was particularly interesting.
And the English system worked to establish security for both sides of the system.
After I read this book I understood the complexities of the English caste system.
The book included beautiful paintings of servants over a 400 year period.
King George I had a black slave Mehemet whom he ennobled and promoted him to the Groom of the King's Chamber and Keeper of the Closet.
Queen Victoria defied her court by having Munshi Abdul Karim teach her Hindu.

[Vic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purchased at the National Portrait Gallery in London, I use this book constantly as a reference.