Gainsborough's 'The Painter's Daughters with a Cat'

When you look at this loving portrait of two sisters, you know you are looking at real human beings.

The artist, Thomas Gainsborough, prized himself for creating lifelike artworks. 'The Painter’s Daughters with a Cat’ captures the features of Mary and Margaret Gainsborough with the intimacy and familiarity only a father could paint.

The artwork was created by Gainsborough in about 1760-1 at a pivotal moment in his career. Focusing on his daughters' faces, Gainsborough sought to hone his craft and prove that he could capture individual features, with a goal to becoming a pre-eminent society portrait painter.

Join Director of Collections and Research, Christine Riding, as she explores ‘The Painter’s Daughters’ in all its touching details, and its place amongst a series of portraits of Gainsborough's friends and family in the Gallery. Hung as part of our new display, ‘C C Land: The Wonder of Art’, they tell a story of Gainsborough’s early career and the inspiration he drew from artists like Anthony van Dyck and Peter Paul Rubens.