Thomas, Eleanor and Anne Lance

This artwork has been identified as having links to a person connected with transatlantic slavery. This research is part of the Walker Art Gallery’s ongoing work to be more transparent about the collection’s relationship to Britain's colonial past. The three children of Thomas Lance (1769-1829) are preparing for a family musical evening. Lance was a Liverpool merchant and insurance broker. He was also a trader of enslaved African people and a partner in W B Cripps & Co, a company that imported goods produced by enslaved people. By 1814, Lance had moved to Wavertree, becoming a member of the Wavertree Local Board. Lance Lane in Wavertree is named after him. Portraits of Lance and his wife, Eleanor (née Maddock), also hang at the Liverpool Town Hall.