WC Stringer Lawrence

Thomas Gainsborough painted this portrait of WC Stringer Lawrence in England in the late 18th century. Lawrence was a military officer of the East India Company, a commercial enterprise that was used as a front for the British colonisation of India. Gainsborough's portrait presents Lawrence as a figure of authority and respectability, reinforcing the image of the British Empire as a source of order and civilization. But in reality, British rule was brutally exploitative. Art historians can help us understand the ways in which images like this one were used to justify imperial expansion and mask the violence and inequality that it produced. By researching historical records, company documents, and other primary sources, we can begin to unpack the complex social and political context in which this portrait was made.