The Painter's Two Daughters thumbnail 1
The Painter's Two Daughters thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 52, The George Levy Gallery

This object consists of 2 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

The Painter's Two Daughters

Oil Painting
ca. 1758 (painted)
Artist/Maker

Object Type
A portrait of this kind is reminiscent of the work of one of Gainsborough's most admired artists of the past, Van Dyck, whose portraits of children also had a slightly melancholy sweetness.

Subjects Depicted
The artist painted his daughters several times. Both daughters attended Blacklands School in Chelsea, London, where they learned to draw; Margaret also became an accomplished amateur musician. Mary married the oboe player Johann Christian Fischer in 1780, but they soon separated, and she developed eccentricities which eventually resulted in insanity. After their father's death in 1788, the two sisters lived together.

People
Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk, in 1727. He moved to London in 1740, studying at the St Martin's Lane Academy and associating with Hubert Gravelot and Francis Hayman. He returned to Suffolk in 1748; then moved to Bath in 1759 and established a successful portrait practice, although he regularly visited London. He exhibited at the Society of Artists and was invited to be a founder member of the Royal Academy in 1768. He also painted pictures in the sentimental manner of Murillo, and landscapes of a 'picturesque' kind.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Oil Paintings
  • Frame
TitleThe Painter's Two Daughters (generic title)
Materials and techniques
oil on canvas (two canvases joined)
Brief description
Portrait of Mary and Margaret Gainsborough, the artist's two daughters
Physical description
Since this painting was probably executed in 1758, Gainsborough's daughters would have been about ten and six years old. It appears that the girl on the spectator's left is the elder and she is therefore taken to be Mary (born ca. 1748) and the girl on the spectator's right is Margaret (born ca. 1752). As in all the other double portraits the girls are shown in close sisterly contact with each other; here they are linked by Mary's arm stretching up to rest on Margaret's hair (the girls' hair would have been cut in this short style to fit neatly under mob caps). Margaret turns to face us with an almost haughty expression.
Dimensions
  • Canvas height: 40.6cm
  • Width: 61.6cm
  • Canvas width: 58.4cm
  • Frame height: 57cm
  • Frame width: 78.5cm
  • Frame depth: 5cm
  • Old frame height: 64cm
  • Old frame width: 86.5cm
Style
Gallery label
British Galleries: Portraits of children form a distinctive category of portraiture in both painting and sculpture. Gainsborough's image of his two daughters, aged about nine and seven, has a touching intimacy and informality. Yet despite its apparent naturalness, this painting uses an established conventional pose showing the girls half-turned towards the artist.(27/03/2003)
Credit line
Bequeathed by John Forster
Object history
Bequeathed by John Forster, 1876
Painted by Thomas Gainsborough (born in Sudbury, Suffolk, 1727, died in London, 1788)
Subjects depicted
Summary
Object Type
A portrait of this kind is reminiscent of the work of one of Gainsborough's most admired artists of the past, Van Dyck, whose portraits of children also had a slightly melancholy sweetness.

Subjects Depicted
The artist painted his daughters several times. Both daughters attended Blacklands School in Chelsea, London, where they learned to draw; Margaret also became an accomplished amateur musician. Mary married the oboe player Johann Christian Fischer in 1780, but they soon separated, and she developed eccentricities which eventually resulted in insanity. After their father's death in 1788, the two sisters lived together.

People
Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk, in 1727. He moved to London in 1740, studying at the St Martin's Lane Academy and associating with Hubert Gravelot and Francis Hayman. He returned to Suffolk in 1748; then moved to Bath in 1759 and established a successful portrait practice, although he regularly visited London. He exhibited at the Society of Artists and was invited to be a founder member of the Royal Academy in 1768. He also painted pictures in the sentimental manner of Murillo, and landscapes of a 'picturesque' kind.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Neumeister, Mirjam ( ed.), The Changing Face of Childhood: British Children's Portraits and their Influence in Europe, Frankfurt, Städel Museum, 2007
  • 100 Great Paintings in The Victoria & Albert Museum. London: V&A, 1985, p.70
  • pp. 108-9 David H. Solkin, with Ann Bermingham and Susan Sloman.‎ Gainsborough's family album. London : National Portrait Gallery, [2018]‎. ISBN: 9781855147904
Collection
Accession number
F.9

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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