Tuesday, 2 September 2014

Thomas Gainsborough

NAME Thomas Gainsborough

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Thomas Gainsborough is primarily famous for being one of the most prominent English portrait and landscape painters of the 18th century. He was a founding member of the Royal Academy and is particularly known for the elegance and naturalism of his portraits, as well as his innovative and atmospheric landscapes.

BIRTH Thomas Gainsborough was baptized on May 14, 1727, in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. The exact day of his birth is unknown, but it was likely a few days before his baptism.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Gainsborough was the youngest of nine children—five sons and four daughters—born to John Gainsborough, a weaver and woolen goods manufacturer, and his wife Mary, sister of the Reverend Humphry Burroughs. Mary was known for her talent in painting flowers, which may have sparked Thomas’s early interest in art. 

The Gainsborough family included several notable figures: his brother Humphrey was an inventor who contributed to early steam technology, while another brother, John—nicknamed "Scheming Jack"—was fascinated by designing mechanical curiosities. 

When Thomas was about eleven, a traumatic family tragedy struck: his uncle and cousin were murdered in a dispute over money. Ironically, this event became a turning point in his life—his uncle’s will left Thomas £40, with instructions that it be used to support a “light handicraft,” paving the way for his artistic education.

CHILDHOOD Gainsborough grew up in the Suffolk town of Sudbury, where his exceptional artistic talent emerged early. By the age of ten, he was already painting small landscapes and portraits, including a miniature self-portrait. Much of his childhood was spent sketching the woods and fields that surrounded his hometown, nurturing his lifelong love of nature. His childhood home on what is now Gainsborough Street survives today as Gainsborough's House, a museum dedicated to his life and work. One oft-repeated—and possibly apocryphal—story claims that young Thomas forged notes in his schoolmaster’s handwriting, hid them in a warming pan, and used them to excuse himself from school during the summer so he could roam and sketch at will.

EDUCATION At thirteen, Gainsborough persuaded his father to send him to London to study art, based on the strength of his promise at landscape painting. In London, he first trained under the French engraver Hubert Gravelot, who introduced Rococo painting techniques to London. He also learned from Francis Hayman and became associated with William Hogarth's circle. During his training, gainsborough contributed to decorative projects including Vauxhall Gardens and the building that now houses the Thomas Coram Foundation for Children .

CAREER RECORD Gainsborough initially struggled to make a living through landscape painting, so he shifted to portraits to secure a steady income—especially after marrying Margaret Burr, who had a generous allowance. He set up a studio in Ipswich, then moved to Bath, where his work gained more elite patronage.

 In 1774, he moved to London, where he became one of the most in-demand society artists. 

APPEARANCE Descriptions of Gainsborough suggest he was of average height with expressive features. His self-portraits reveal a keen, slightly melancholic expression, framed by shoulder-length hair styled in the fashion of the day.

Self-Portrait (1759)

FASHION He dressed with refinement but not ostentation. His portraits of others, however, often reflect the high fashion of the Georgian elite—elegant gowns, powdered wigs, and velvet coats—mirroring his clients' desires for opulence.

CHARACTER Gainsborough was known for his sharp wit, restless energy, and charismatic charm. Often described as a "Jack-the-Lad," he embodied the spirit of a lively, pleasure-loving city man—"swigging, gigging, kissing, drinking, fighting"—though never to the point of foolishness or vice. 

Fiercely independent, he declined to take on students and refused to follow the conventional path of the Grand Tour. 

Pragmatic and perceptive, he was said to be "alert to the main chance"—a savvy businessman who knew how to flatter his wealthy clients. As the painter Francis Bourgeois once remarked, “He talked bawdy to the King, and morality to the Prince of Wales.”

SPEAKING VOICE Contemporary accounts suggest he spoke with the accent of his native Suffolk. Given his sociable nature and success, he likely had a confident and engaging manner of speaking.

SENSE OF HUMOUR Gainsborough's letters and anecdotes reveal a lively sense of humor and a penchant for irony, especially regarding the art world and his own career . His correspondence with friends shows wit and playfulness, often expressing frustration with his portrait work through humorous complaints.

One of the most charming examples of Gainsborough's playful humor comes from his correspondence with his friend William Jackson of Exeter, whom he affectionately addressed as "my dear maggotty sir". This endearing nickname reveals his fondness for whimsical, affectionate teasing with close friends.

Perhaps the most quoted example of Gainsborough's humor comes from painter Francis Bourgeois, who observed that Gainsborough "talked bawdy to the King, and morality to the Prince of Wales". This perfectly captures his ability to adapt his conversational style and humor to different audiences, showing remarkable social intelligence wrapped in wit.

Gainsborough frequently used humor to poke fun at himself. He once described himself as "the most inconsistent, changeable being so full of fits and starts". In another instance, when discussing punctuality, he quipped: "I wish you would recollect that Painting and Punctuality mix like Oil and Vinegar, and that Genius and regularity are utter Enemies". This clever excuse for his tardiness shows his ability to turn personal failings into witty observations.

RELATIONSHIPS Thomas Gainsborough married Margaret Burr on July 15, 1746 at Saint George's Church, Mayfair, Westminster, London.  She was reportedly the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Beaufort, who provided the couple with a £200 annuity. 

Margaret Burr (1728–1797), the artist's wife, c. early 1770s

They had two daughters: Mary (born 1748/1750) and Margaret (born 1751/1752). Both daughters faced significant challenges - Mary married a musician without her father's permission, leading to financial difficulties and mental health problems. Margaret never married and spent her later years caring for her increasingly unstable sister. 

Gainsborough also had a close relationship with his nephew and apprentice, Gainsborough Dupont, who was his only known assistant and took over his studio after his death .

MONEY AND FAME Gainsborough had to carefully manage his finances early in his career, sometimes borrowing against his wife's annuity. He later achieved considerable financial success and fame, especially after moving to Bath and later London. Royal patronage and commissions from aristocracy secured both his reputation and wealth. By 1760, he was charging 20 guineas for a portrait and 80 guineas for a full-length portrait . 

FOOD AND DRINK Gainsborough lived much of his adult life in fashionable circles in London and Bath, where dining and drinking were central to social and artistic life. He was known for enjoying convivial company, music, and lively gatherings, often in the company of musicians and fellow artists.

Several sources describe Gainsborough as a "good-time city-boy," someone who enjoyed the pleasures of life, including drinking, but not to the point of debauchery or foolishness. He was described as "swigging, gigging, kissing, drinking, fighting"—a man who liked to have a good time but was not considered a heavy drinker in the sense of being an addict or suffering from alcoholism. There are anecdotes of him using drink to relieve stress, and one story recounts that after a bout of illness (possibly venereal disease), his daughter Mary prescribed him "six glasses of good, old Port," which he credited with breaking his fever. This suggests he enjoyed wine, particularly port, which was popular in 18th-century England. (1)

There is no specific documentation of his preferences in food, though contemporary accounts suggest he enjoyed the social aspects of dining and entertainment typical of his era .

ARTISTIC CAREER Thomas Gainsborough, born in 1727 in the rather sleepy Suffolk town of Sudbury, was the kind of prodigiously talented child who didn’t just draw well—he drew so well that by age ten he was knocking out miniature self-portraits and charming little landscapes with alarming ease. By thirteen, while most boys his age were still being told not to eat glue, Gainsborough was already off to London to study art, having convinced his parents he was destined for something rather grand.

There, he apprenticed under a French engraver named Hubert Gravelot, which sounds like someone you’d meet in a Dickens novel but was, in fact, a real person. He also worked with Francis Hayman and fell in with the rowdy, brilliant circle around William Hogarth, who had an eye for both satire and good pub company. Young Gainsborough contributed to various artistic endeavours, including decorative panels for Vauxhall Gardens, which was sort of an 18th-century version of Disneyland, minus the mouse ears and churros.

In 1746, Gainsborough married Margaret Burr, who, quite usefully, came with a small but steady income—this being 18th-century England, where passion for art was admirable but passion backed by a private allowance was better. They returned to Sudbury, where he devoted himself to painting landscapes, which nobody much wanted to buy. Eventually, in 1752, he moved to Ipswich, where he had better luck coaxing portraits out of local squires and merchants in exchange for coin.

Here he painted charming works like The Rev. John Chafy Playing the Violoncello in a Landscape, which is every bit as specific and wonderful as it sounds. He also completed a self-portrait that now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, presumably looking mildly amused to have come so far.

In 1759, Gainsborough relocated to Bath, which was then at the height of its spa-town fabulousness, full of powdered wigs, expensive hats, and people pretending they didn’t smell faintly of sulfur. It was here that Gainsborough hit his stride as a society portraitist, painting the likes of the Linley family, and David Garrick, the actor who made Shakespeare cool again.

Gainsborough's Portrait of David Garrick (1770),

His quick, fluid painting style and knack for capturing a flattering likeness made him a favorite of the fashionably vain. But while portraiture paid the bills—rather handsomely, in fact—he still longed to paint landscapes, preferably ones filled with whispering trees and brooding skies rather than the elaborate frocks of aristocratic ladies.

By 1774, it was clear that Gainsborough was a big deal, so he did what all big deals did—he moved to London, taking up residence at Schomberg House on Pall Mall, which sounds fancy because it was. He had been a founding member of the Royal Academy in 1768, but he quickly found their rules tiresome and stuffy. A particular bone of contention was that they wouldn’t hang one of his portraits at the correct height, so he took his toys and went home, exhibiting independently thereafter.

He was summoned to paint King George III and Queen Charlotte, and despite the fact that his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds had the job title of court painter, Gainsborough was reportedly preferred by the royal family. (Reynolds, one imagines, was not thrilled.)

Gainsborough’s style was light, elegant, and loose, full of shimmering brushstrokes and airy backgrounds. He was particularly good at making his subjects look aristocratic and windswept, even if they were neither. He liked to place people outdoors, giving portraits a breezy, natural quality that was quite unlike the stiff, formal poses common at the time.

Yet it was in landscape where his soul really lived. Paintings like The Market Cart and The Watering Place shimmer with atmosphere and rustic poetry. His landscapes were less about geographic accuracy than about capturing a mood—morning light on a meadow, a gathering storm over a copse of trees. He wasn’t painting what he saw so much as what he felt.

Major Works

The Blue Boy (c. 1770) – so iconic it practically winks at you from across the room. Gainsborough painted The Blue Boy to disprove Sir Joshua Reynold's assertion that blue was to cold a colour to dominate a painting..

The Blue Boy (1770). 

Mr. and Mrs. Andrews (c. 1750) – a brilliant, slightly snarky take on landed gentry

Portrait of Ann Ford (1760) – music, elegance, and female agency wrapped into one

The Market Cart (1786) – rustic charm with a philosophical gaze

Portrait of Anne, Countess of Chesterfield (1777–78) – aristocratic polish, Gainsborough-style

By the time Gainsborough died in 1788, aged 61, he had painted roughly 800 portraits and 200 landscapes, a staggering output by any standard. He left behind a body of work that shaped British art for generations. More than just a painter of society portraits, he was a pioneer of British landscape painting, injecting it with atmosphere, drama, and soul. He also managed, somehow, to be both wildly successful and slightly subversive, an independent spirit in a powdered-wig world.

MUSIC AND ARTS Gainsborough had a deep and passionate love for music, particularly the viola da gamba, which he played with great affection. He owned at least five viols da gamba—three by Jayes and two by Barak Norman—which he affectionately referred to as "my comfort." His personal collection also included a theorbo, violin, and other instruments, reflecting his deep musical interests. 

Gainsborough playing the viola da gamba, by Perplexity

Gainsborough was close friends with prominent musicians such as Johann Christian Bach and Carl Friedrich Abel, often traveling in their company. His home was known as a hub for musical gatherings, with his daughters also contributing—playing instruments like the harpsichord and theorbo. 

Despite his fame as a portraitist, Gainsborough frequently voiced a longing to escape society portraiture in favor of painting landscapes and immersing himself in music. In a letter to a friend, he confessed: “I'm sick of Portraits and wish very much to take my viols-da-gamba and walk off to some sweet village, where I can paint landskips and enjoy the fag-end of life in quietness and ease.” (2)

Gainsborough was acquainted with leading people in the arts world, including actors like David Garrick, whom he painted. 

LITERATURE Gainsborough's correspondence reveals he was well-read and articulate . His letters show wit and intelligence, and he engaged with the intellectual circles of his time through his artistic and musical connections .

NATURE Gainsborough had a deep and lifelong devotion to nature and the landscape. He spent endless hours observing the shifting patterns of light and shadow across the woods and fields near Ipswich and Bath. 

When bad weather kept him indoors, he brought tree branches and other vegetation into his studio to continue his studies. He even constructed miniature landscapes using broken stones, dried herbs, broccoli, and other everyday materials, illuminating them with candlelight to experiment with dramatic lighting effects. 

Though portraiture brought him fame and fortune, his heart always remained with the English countryside—landscape painting was his true passion. (3)

Landscape in Suffolk (1748),

PETS Gainsborough owned two dogs named Tristram and Fox. The painting Tristram and Fox (c. 1775–85), now in Tate Britain, is believed to be a portrait of his own pets. Tristram was a dark spaniel, and Fox was a tri-coloured dog. The name Tristram is thought to have been inspired by the literary character Tristram Shandy.

There is a charming anecdote recounting when Gainsborough spoke crossly to his wife, he would write a note of apology, sign it with the name of his favorite dog Fox, and address it to his wife’s pet spaniel, Tristram. Fox would then deliver the note to Margaret, showing the dogs’ importance in the family and reflecting Gainsborough's sense of humor and affection for his pets.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS His main hobbies were music and walking in the countryside. Gainsborough was an avid sketcher who would spend hours outdoors capturing natural scenes.  He was not particularly known for engaging in sports, preferring intellectual and artistic pursuits.

SCIENCE AND MATHS Gainsborough's innovative techniques with materials and lighting in his landscape work showed a practical, experimental approach to his art. 

His brother Humphrey was an inventor who contributed to developments in steam technology that were later useful to James Watt .

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Gainsborough was born into a dissenting family in Sudbury, Suffolk, with a strong Protestant work ethic and moral sensibility. He is described as having strong religious convictions—one biographer notes that he refused to work on Sundays, reflecting a respect for Christian observance. However, like many in his era, his personal conduct could be at odds with strict religious codes, and he was known for conviviality and a lively social life.

A central virtue in Gainsborough’s moral outlook was charity, understood in the 18th-century Christian sense as love, kindness, and benevolence toward others. He explicitly stated in a letter to his sister that “as God is my Judge, I do what I do more from Charity and human feelings than my other Gratifycations”. His paintings, such as Charity Relieving Distress, often explore the theme of benevolence, blending allegory and everyday life to advocate for compassion and generosity as ideals in both art and society.

Philosophically, Gainsborough was independent-minded and resistant to academic authority. He challenged the conventions of the Royal Academy, advocating for a more personal, emotive, and accessible art that bridged the gap between high and low forms. His works often embody a reconciliation between the general (allegory, idealism) and the particular (everyday observation), reflecting Enlightenment debates about sensibility, virtue, and the role of art in society.

POLITICS Gainsborough did not actively engage in politics, and his works are generally apolitical. As a successful court painter, he would have maintained a respectful distance from partisan issues.

SCANDAL No major personal scandals marred his life, though his heavy drinking and outspoken criticism of the Royal Academy caused tensions

MILITARY RECORD Gainsborough had no military service record .

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Gainsborough struggled with various health problems throughout his life. In 1763, his condition became so serious that the Bath Journal prematurely reported his death. He referred to his affliction as a "nervous fever," and suggested that the combination of overwork and excessive socializing during his trips to London had taken a toll on his body. He was treated for what was described as a severe nervous illness by two of Bath’s leading physicians, Rice Charleton and Abel Moysey. 

Mental health challenges also affected his family—both of his daughters experienced emotional and psychological difficulties, requiring care from Dr. Ralph Schomberg, a physician known for treating such conditions.

In early 1788, Gainsborough’s final illness began when he discovered a cyst on his neck. It was soon diagnosed as cancer. Despite being treated by prominent doctors of the day, including William Heberden and the famed surgeon John Hunter, the disease progressed rapidly. Gainsborough died six months later, in August 1788, at the age of 61.

HOMES Gainsborough was born and spent his childhood in Sudbury, Suffolk, in what is now known as Gainsborough's House. He moved to London for training at age 13, then returned to Suffolk before settling in Ipswich in 1752.

In 1759, he moved to Bath, initially living at various addresses before moving to No. 11 Royal Circus. 

His final move was to London in 1774, where he lived at Schomberg House, Pall Mall, a 17th-century town mansion built in 1698.

Schomberg House circa 1850

TRAVEL Gainsborough traveled within England but did not undertake the Grand Tour of Europe, which was common for artists of his time. 

He made specific trips to the West Country in 1782 and the Lake District in 1783, which inspired some of his later, more dramatic landscape paintings. He also regularly traveled between his various residences and made business trips to London for exhibitions and commissions .

DEATH Gainsborough died on August 2, 1788, in London at the age of 61. His death was caused by cancer in the neck, which became violent after he caught a cold while attending the trial of Warren Hastings in Westminster Hall. 

According to his wishes, he was buried at St. Anne's Church, Kew, where the royal family regularly worshipped. Among his pallbearers was his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, and his nephew Gainsborough Dupont served as chief mourner. His tomb was later restored in 1865 and again in 2012 .

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Gainsborough's life and work continue to be the subject of numerous exhibitions, biographies, and documentaries. 

Major exhibitions have been held at institutions like the Hamburger Kunsthalle, which mounted Germany's first large-scale monographic exhibition on Gainsborough in 2018. His paintings remain widely exhibited in major galleries worldwide, and his childhood home serves as a museum. 

Recent scholarly work has uncovered new aspects of his family history, including the murders that affected his early life.

ACHIEVEMENTS Leading English painter of the 18th century, famed for both portraiture and landscape.

One of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768.

Painted the royal family, including George III and Queen Charlotte.

Developed a unique, lyrical style in both portraiture and landscapes.

Maintained artistic independence by defying the Royal Academy's rigid exhibition rules.

Inspired future generations of landscape painters, including Constable and Turner.

Despite a career marked by personal struggles, his artistic legacy remains one of refinement, beauty, and innovation.

Sources (1) Apollo magazine (2) Wikiquote (3) Google Arts & Culture (4) National Library of Medicine

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