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Thomas Gainsborough, 'Portrait of the Artist's Daughter Mary', 1777

About the work

This portrait of Gainsborough’s older daughter Mary was produced in 1777 around the same time as a portrait made of his youngest, Margaret Gainsborough, holding a Theorbo (NG6687), which entered the National Gallery Collection in 2019. Unusually, the artist has inscribed the work with the name of the sitter and signed it, indicating the work is complete. These paintings of the two sisters were kept by the artist’s descendants throughout the nineteenth century, reflecting their importance to the family.

Both portraits are notably unfinished, though Margaret’s is less finished than this painting of Mary, as are The Artist’s Daughters, chasing a Butterfly (NG1811) and The Artist’s Daughters, playing with a Cat (NG3812), also in the National Gallery Collection. The loose handling and experimentation adopted in all these works reflect the intimate relationship the artist held with each sitter. Together they demonstrate his distinctive approach to representing his family.

This work also reflects Gainsborough’s knowledge of, and desire to emulate, paintings by great artists from previous generations. The painting to which the portrait of Mary alludes, is now known to be a painting by Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) of his wife.

Key facts

Full title
Portrait of the Artist's Daughter Mary
Artist
Thomas Gainsborough
Artist dates
1727 - 1788
Date made
1777
Medium and support
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
77.5 × 64.8 cm
Inscription summary
Dated and inscribed
Acquisition credit
Tate: Bequeathed by Sir Otto Beit 1945
Inventory number
L1352
Location
Room 34
Image copyright
Tate: Bequeathed by Sir Otto Beit 1945
Collection
Main Collection

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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John Plampin is portrayed here aged about 25. The portrait was probably painted around five years before he inherited Chadacre Hall and the manor of Shimpling, Suffolk, in 1757. Gainsborough shows Plampin on Plampin land. The church tower in the background, though brushed in with only a few touch...
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Margaret Gainsborough holding a Theorbo
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This unfinished portrait of Thomas Gainsborough’s youngest daughter, Margaret (1751–1820), playing a theorbo (a kind of lute) unites two particularly personal aspects of the artist’s life and career: his deep affection for his family and friends, and their shared passion for music.The Gainsboroug...
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Mr and Mrs Andrews
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This portrait of Mr Robert (1725–1806) and Mrs Frances Andrews (about 1732–1780) is the masterpiece of Gainsborough’s early career. It has been described as a ‘triple portrait’ – of Robert Andrews, his wife and his land.Behind Mr and Mrs Andrews is a wide view looking south over the valley of the...
Room 34
Mr and Mrs William Hallett ('The Morning Walk')
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Gainsborough painted this portrait of William Hallett (1764–1842) and Elizabeth Stephen (1764–1833) shortly before their marriage on 30 July 1785. The couple are shown arm in arm on a morning walk with a Pomeranian sheepdog. The style of the portrait draws on the work of earlier painters Watteau...
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Mrs Siddons
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Edward Gardiner was Gainsborough’s nephew, and recorded to have spent time in his studio. He is depicted in this portrait at the age of around eight or nine. It is thought that the painting was created as a pendant to a portrait of the sitter’s sister Susan, at the same age.The portrait of Edward...
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Portrait of the Artist with his Wife and Daughter
Portrait of the Artist with his Wife and Daughter
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This is the earliest known self portrait in oil by Gainsborough, and the only known one of him with his family. He sits with his wife, Margaret, and the little rosy-cheeked girl is probably Mary, their short-lived first daughter. It is likely Gainsborough began it before Mary’s burial on 1 March...
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The Market Cart
The Market Cart
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A horse-drawn cart trundles along a woodland path on the way to market. Two boys and their dog walk alongside its giant wheel, while two girls sit perched on top of the produce. Carrots spill out of a basket, and turnips, potatoes and cabbages are loosely piled in. The older girl raises one arm,...
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The Painter's Daughters chasing a Butterfly
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The two little girls in this unfinished portrait are Mary and Margaret, Gainsborough’s daughters by his wife, Margaret Burr, and their only children to survive infancy. Mary was baptised on 3 February 1750 and Margaret on 22 August 1751. Mary was given the name of the couple’s first daughter, who...
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This portrait of Gainsborough’s daughters is likely to have been painted in Bath a year or so after the family moved there in late 1759. Mary appears to be about ten or eleven years old, and Margaret about eight or nine. Margaret leans her forehead back against her sister’s cheek as she holds the...
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The Watering Place
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You've viewed 6 of 14 works