Blue Boy Autographs

The Blue Boy (c. 1770) is a full-length portrait in oil by Thomas Gainsborough, owned by The Huntington in San Marino, California. Although both it and its creator are well known, whom it depicts is disputed.
One of Gainsborough's best-known works, The Blue Boy was long thought to be a portrait of Jonathan Buttall (1752–1805), the son of a wealthy hardware merchant, because of his early ownership of the painting. This identification has never been proven, and as Susan Sloman argued in 2013, the likely sitter is Gainsborough's nephew, Gainsborough Dupont (1754–1797). It is a historical costume study as well as a portrait; the youth appears in clothing from the 17th century as the artist's homage to Anthony van Dyck and is very similar to Van Dyck's portraits of young boys, especially his double portrait of brothers George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, and Lord Francis Villiers.
Gainsborough had already drawn something on the canvas before beginning The Blue Boy, which he painted over. The painting is about life-size, measuring 48 inches (1,200 mm) wide by 70 inches (1,800 mm) tall.
Read more about Blue Boy on Wikipedia

Affiliate disclosure: When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Traded items with a signature of Blue Boy

The most expensive item with a signature of Blue Boy (RARE Thomas Gainsborough Autograph PSA DNA Artist Signed Auto 1757 The Blue Boy) was sold in March 2025 for $13,977.20 while the cheapest item (Vintage Josef Originals Blue Boy Girl Graduate Angel Figurine /w Diploma Signed) found a new owner for $0.99 in January 2023. The month with the most items sold (6) was July 2025 with an average selling price of $1,189.47 for an autographed item of Blue Boy. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in February 2025 with $3,066.04 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $0.99 was January 2023. In average, an autographed item from Blue Boy is worth $90.92.

Most recently, these items with a signature of Blue Boy were sold on eBay - click here for more items.

Picture	Item Title	Price	Store
	2 SIGNED books by Michael Donahue: Blue Boy and Purple Hayes - Paperbacks 2004	$46.99
	Antique Miniature Painting Signed Superb Ornate Frame Portrait Blue Boy	$295.00
	Bird Print "Blue Boy” Jay Molly Reeves Signed Numbered	$50.00
	Original Blue Boy Hand Colored Engraving Signed Thomas Gainsborough c.1777	$2,440.02
	Original Blue Boy Hand Colored Engraving Signed Thomas Gainsborough c.1777	$2,298.95
	Original Blue Boy Hand Colored Engraving Signed Thomas Gainsborough c.1777	$2,298.95
	Original Blue Boy Hand Colored Engraving Signed Thomas Gainsborough c.1777	$2,298.95
	Original Blue Boy Hand Colored Engraving Signed Thomas Gainsborough c.1777	$2,298.95
	Signed book, first edition, with obi, Me, My Master, Blue Boy and Stripp #QYJIWO	$90.92
	Signed Book, Unread, First Edition, With Obi Ore, Master, Blue Boy, Stripper S	$66.69
	SIGNED Rakesh Satyal BLUE BOY 2009 Kensington Books, NY First Softcover Printing	$49.95
	The Blue Boy Signed Degrazia Figurine, W. Germany, Vintage	$28.19
	Vintage Hand Crafted Holland Mold Blue Boy 12” Ceramic Statue Signed	$15.99
	Vintage Signed Delft Holland Blue Boy & Girl Sitting Tree Figurine Lamp WORKING	$99.99
	Whimsical Illustration Young Blue Boy Watercolor Signed Childrens Nursery Decor	$37.88