Thomas Gainsborough's 'The Blue Boy' exhibited at National Gallery

LONDON, UK - JANUARY 24: The Blue Boy, a full-length portrait in oil, by Thomas Gainsborough, is exhibited at the London National Gallery in London.‘The Blue Boy’ represents the best of 18th-century British art.In the winter of 1922, Gainsborough’s ‘The Blue Boy’ hung at the Gallery for three weeks before it sailed across the Atlantic to its new home in California. It was a public farewell to a beloved painting.100 years later (to the day), Gainsborough’s masterpiece returns to the Gallery to go on display in Trafalgar Square once again.On a child-sized canvas, the young subject is dressed in a striking blue costume; he is bright-eyed yet serious, shy yet direct. The identity of the boy in blue is uncertain; more importantly, he is a stand-in for all boys and the idea of childhood.Through a series of high-profile exhibitions, widely published reproduction prints, and countless copies by artists down the ages, he has become one of Britain’s most beloved sons.This is the first time the painting has been loaned by The Huntington - it is a once-in-a-century opportunity to see this iconic work in the UK.(Footage by Bilal Acar /Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)