,gainsborough  ,by ,max ,rothschild     
,,masterpieces ,,in ,,colour ,,series   
,,artist4                 ,,author4     
,,velazquez4              ,s4 ,l4       
,,bensusan4 ,,reynolds4                 
,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4 ,,turner4           
,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind4 ,,romney4           
,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind4 ,,greuze4           
,,alys ,,eyre ,,macklin4 ,,botticelli4  
,,henry ,b4 ,,binns4 ,,rossetti4        
,,lucien ,,pissarro4 ,,bellini4         
,,george ,,hay4 ,,fra ,,angelico4       
,,james ,,mason4 ,,rembrandt4           
,,josef ,,israels4 ,,leighton4          
,a4 ,,lys ,,baldry4 ,,raphael4          
,,paul ,g4 ,,konody4 ,,holman ,,hunt4   
,,mary ,e4 ,,coleridge4 ,,titian4       
,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4 ,,millais4          
,a4 ,,lys ,,baldry4 ,,carlo ,,dolci4    
,,george ,,hay4 ,,gainsborough4         
,,max ,,rothschild4 ,,tintoretto4       
,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4 ,,luini4            
,,james ,,mason4 ,,franz ,,hals4        
,,edgcumbe ,,staley4 ,,van ,,dyck4      
,,percy ,m4 ,,turner4 ,,leonardo ,,da   

,,vinci4      ,m4 ,w4 ,,brockwell4      
,,rubens4                 ,s4 ,l4       
,,bensusan4 ,,whistler4                 
,t4 ,,martin ,,wood4 ,,holbein4         
,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4 ,,burne-,,jones4    
,a4 ,,lys ,,baldry4 ,,vigee ,,le ,,brun4
          ,c4 ,,haldane ,,macfall4      
,,chardin4                ,,paul ,g4    
,,konody4 ,,fragonard4              ,c4 
,,haldane ,,macfall4 ,,memlinc4         
,w4 ,h4 ,j4  ,j4 ,c4 ,,weale4           
,,constable4              ,c4 ,,lewis   
,,hind4 ,,raeburn4                      
,,james ,l4 ,,caw4 ,,john ,s4 ,,sargent4
        ,t4 ,,martin ,,wood4 ,,lawrence4
               ,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4      
,d,ue,r,e,r4                  ,h4 ,e4   
,a4 ,,furst4 ,,millet4                  
,,percy ,m4 ,,turner4 ,,watteau4        
,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind4 ,,hogarth4          
,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind4 ,,murillo4          
,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4 ,,watts4            
,w4 ,,loftus ,,hare4 ,,ingres4          
,a4 ,j4 ,,finberg4 ,,corot4             
,,sidney ,,allnutt4 ,,delacroix4        

,,paul ,g4 ,,konody4  ,others in        
,preparation4   ,,plate ,i4--,,mrs4     
,,siddons4 7,frontispiece7       ,this  
famous portrait of ,mrs4 ,siddons was   
painted in #aghd4      ,it is one of the
 chief ornaments in the ,national       
,gallery1      ,london4 ,it represents  
the celebrated actress in her           
twenty-ninth year4 ,the picture was     
purchased in #ahfb from      a relative 
of ,mrs4 ,siddons4  ,illustration3      
,,plate ,i4--,,mrs4 ,,siddons4          
,gainsborough  ,,by ,,max ,,rothschild  
,,illustrated ,,with ,,eight            
,,reproductions ,,in ,,colour           
,illustration  ,,london3 ,t4 ,c4  ,e4   
,c4 ,,jack ,,new ,,york3 ,,frederick ,a4
 ,,stokes ,,co4     ,,contents          
,page    ,i4 ,painting in ,england      
before ,gainsborough                    
#aa   ,,ii4 ,gainsborough's ,early      
,life--,ipswich and ,bath               
#be  ,,iii4 ,gainsborough's ,life in    
,london--,last ,years and ,death        
#df   ,,iv4 ,gainsborough's ,works      

#fe     ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations     
,plate     ,i4 ,mrs4 ,siddons           
,frontispiece         ,at the ,national 
,gallery1 ,london                       
,page   ,,ii4 ,ralph ,schomberg1 ,m4,d4 
#ad         ,at the ,national ,gallery1 
,london   ,,iii4 ,queen ,charlotte      
#bd         ,at the ,south ,kensington  
,museum    ,,iv4 ,the ,blue ,boy        
#cd         ,at ,grosvenor ,house       
,v4 ,the ,hon4 ,mrs4 ,graham            
#dj         ,at the ,national ,gallery  
of ,scotland1 ,edinburgh    ,,vi4 ,the  
,duchess of ,devonshire                 
#ej         ,in the collection of ,earl 
,spencer1 ,k4,g4   ,,vii4 ,mrs4         
,robinson--,perdita                     
#fj         ,at the ,wallace ,collection
  ,,viii4 ,miss ,haverfield             
#gj         ,at the ,wallace ,collection
     ,illustration  ,i  ,,painting ,,in 
,,england ,,before ,,gainsborough   ,the
 ,british school of painting was1       
compared with those of the other nations
 of ,western ,europe1 the latest to     

develop4 ,in ,italy1 ,spain1 ,france1   
the ,netherlands1 ,germany1 and even    
,scandinavia painting and sculpture     
flourished as early as the ,gothic ,age1
 and in most of these countries the     
,renaissance produced a host of         
craftsmen whose works still endure among
 the most superb creations of artistic  
genius4 ,it is now inexact to say that  
there was no primitive period in        
,british ,art2 the thirteenth1          
fourteenth1 and fifteenth centuries1 so 
resplendent on the ,continent with      
pictures and statues reflecting the     
character1 the aspirations1 the         
temperament of the respective peoples   
that produced them1 produced works of   
art also in these islands4 ,there are   
ample records of pictures having been   
painted in ,england1 both religious     
subjects and portraits1 at a very early 
age1 as far back even as the reign of   
,henry ,,iii42 of such remote           
productions little has been preserved1  
but there are still extant a few        

specimens1 from the thirteenth century  
onwards1 as well as portraits of ,henry 
,,vi41 ,henry ,,vii41 and effigies of   
princes and earls1 which cause us to    
mourn the loss of a large number of     
paintings2 they are at times grotesque  
and so thoroughly bad as to be a quite  
negligible quantity as works of art1    
though no doubt historically            
interesting4   ,,plate ,,ii4--,,ralph   
,,schomberg1 ,m4,d4       ,this canvas  
can be seen in the ,national ,gallery1  
and      represents a member of the     
family of ,field-,marshal ,duke         
,schomberg1 who was killed in #afij at  
the ,battle of the      ,boyne4 ,it is  
painted in the fashion of the time1 a   
full      figure in the open air1 and is
 a very fine example of                 
,gainsborough's work4  ,illustration3   
,,plate ,,ii4--,,ralph ,,schomberg1     
,m4,d4  ,it may be stated for our       
purposes that until the reign of ,henry 
,,viii4 the art of painting was         
non-existent in ,england4 ,this         

luxurious and liberal monarch it was who
 first gave any real and discerning     
encouragement to art1 and the year #aebf
 must ever be memorable as the one in   
which was laid the foundation-stone of  
,british ,art4 ,in that year the ,earl  
of ,arundel returned from a journey on  
the ,continent2 he was accompanied by a 
young man of powerful build1 with a     
swarthy sensual face1 a neck like a     
bull1 and an eye unlikely to endure     
contradiction4 ,this was ,hans ,holbein1
 who was then thirty years of age1 and  
whose fame had already been spread far  
and wide by the eloquent praises of     
,erasmus4 ,whether the monarch          
appreciated the depth and subtlety of   
the painter's genius better than did his
 own fellow-citizens of ,basle1 or      
whether his attitude towards him was    
prompted by a sense of vanity and       
ostentation is a question of little     
moment2 the fact remains that he        
succeeded by his favour and a pension of
 two hundred florins in fixing the      

painter at the ,english court1 and thus 
rendered an incomparable service to his 
country's art4 ,with the exception of a 
few lengthy excursions abroad1 ,holbein 
lived continuously in ,england for      
twenty-eight years1 until his death of  
the plague in #aedc4  ,the art of       
,holbein1 with all his genius1 with all 
his success and popularity at court1    
does not seem to have taken root in     
,england4 ,the soil was not congenial1  
and when the plant withered no          
off-shoots remained behind2 he formed no
 school in this country1 had no pupils  
capable of carrying on his work1 and    
continuing his tradition4 ,with his     
death1 the first short chapter in the   
history of art in ,great ,britain closes
 like a book1 and for a time it looks as
 though the seeds sown by ,henry ,,viii4
 were destined never to bear fruit4 ,but
 one notable result had been attained2  
painting had gained a place in popular  
estimation1 and succeeding sovereigns   
followed ,henry's example in attracting 

to ,england talented artists from over  
seas4 ,thus ,antonio ,moro came for a   
brief period to the court of ,mary2     
,lucas de ,heere1 ,zucchero1 and ,van   
,somer to that of ,queen ,elizabeth4    
,during this reign1 for the first time1 
distinction is obtained by two artists  
of ,british birth1 the miniature        
painters ,hilliard and ,oliver1 but they
 again leave no very important followers
 7with the exception of the younger     
,oliver71 and their isolated merit had  
no share in the formation of a native   
school4  ,with the accession of ,charles
 the ,first art began to take a much    
more important position in the life of  
the nation4 ,charles was a man of       
considerable taste and refined          
discernment2 no longer content with     
attracting artists to his court1 he     
began to collect fine works purchased in
 other countries1 his example being     
followed by his brother ,prince ,henry1 
by the ,earl of ,arundel and others     
among his courtiers2 thus the works of  

the great ,italians found their way into
 ,england4 ,the walls of the royal      
palaces blazoned with the handiwork of  
,raphael and ,leonardo da ,vinci1       
,correggio and ,veronese1 ,titian and   
,tintoretto2 from the ,netherlands came 
pictures by ,rembrandt and ,rubens1 and 
the influx thus started was destined to 
continue until ,england became the      
greatest artistic store-house in the    
world4  ,the greatest artistic event of 
the reign of ,charles ,i4--the most     
far-reaching1 indeed1 in the whole      
history of art in this country--was the 
coming of ,van ,dyck in #afcb1 for to   
his influence is directly due the birth 
and development of our native school of 
painting culminating in the golden      
period of the following century4  ,van  
,dyck was thirty-three years of age when
 he came to ,england2 his talent was at 
its highest point of perfection2 he was 
almost immediately attached to the court
 among the royal painters1 and his      
success was rapid and unequalled4 ,the  

king and queen and their children sat to
 him again and again2 there was no      
courtier or noble lady but wished her   
portrait to be painted by the           
fashionable and fascinating artist1 and 
the habit of portrait-painting became so
 firmly established that neither the    
revolution1 nor the ,puritan regime1    
which followed the death of ,charles    
,i41 were able to eradicate it4  ,van   
,dyck's commissions were so numerous    
that it became impossible for him to    
execute the whole of them with his own  
hand2 ,van ,dyck1 as his master ,rubens 
had done in ,antwerp1 filled his studio 
with assistants and pupils whom he      
trained1 and who frequently painted the 
more unimportant portions of his        
portraits1 such as draperies and        
background4 ,in this manner a           
considerable number of men received     
tuition of the utmost value1 and1 though
 many of them were foreigners1 drawn to 
,london by the reports of successful    
brothers of the brush1 a school was at  

last founded which was destined to      
develop into the glorious ,english      
school of painting of the eighteenth    
century4  ,the rule of the ,protector   
arrested for a moment this development1 
but the impulse given was too strong to 
be permanently stopped1 and with the    
,restoration portrait-painting          
flourished again with increasing vigour4
 ,the men who attained success were     
still foreigners for the most part1 and 
contented themselves with being weaker  
reflections of ,van ,dyck4 ,sitters     
demanded portraits in the manner of the 
master1 and no painter had the strength 
of character to stray from a close and  
often slavish imitation4 ,the best of   
them1 like ,lely and ,kneller1 both     
,dutchmen1 painted some good portraits  
but entirely devoid of originality4     
,there arose1 however1 about this period
 a painter1 ,british born1 whose strong 
personality refused to bow down and     
worship the popular idol1 while fully   
realising his merits4 ,hogarth dared to 

look at ,nature with his own eyes       
instead of through ,van ,dyck's         
spectacles1 and despite opposition      
insisted on painting things and people  
as he saw them4 ,he refused to give his 
models the flattery to which they were  
accustomed1 and his portraits were      
accordingly not so popular as his       
conversation pieces4 ,but he had broken 
the spell3 he had proved that it was    
possible to be a good painter without   
copying ,van ,dyck to the letter2 and   
although his realism was not imitated by
 his successors he secured for them that
 measure of independence without which  
no art can attain to greatness4  ,such  
is1 briefly1 a statement of the history 
of painting in this country until the   
middle of the eighteenth century4 ,the  
remarkable fact appears that until this 
comparatively late period there is no   
native school worthy of the name4 ,but  
about this time there is a complete     
change1 and there arises simultaneously 
a whole group of men who form a         

genuinely national school of the        
greatest brilliancy4 ,british genius    
asserts itself at last1 and for the     
first time1 as a distinct and           
independent entity1 acknowledging its   
indebtedness to the great masters of the
 world1 but insisting upon its own      
personal view and temperament4 ,these   
men accept the lessons of ,van ,dyck1 of
 ,rembrandt1 of ,raphael1 and of        
,titian2 but they say to these noble    
ancestors3 ,you are great masters1 but  
,nature is also a great mistress4 ,it is
 not surprising1 then1 that side by side
 with portrait-painting1 several will   
turn their attention to landscape1 a    
branch of painting which hitherto had   
been completely neglected in this       
country1 and in this branch also they   
will attain no small measure of success4
   ,,plate ,,iii4--,,queen ,,charlotte  
,gainsborough painted many portraits of 
,george the ,third's      consort4 ,the 
bust here reproduced is in the ,victoria
 and      ,albert ,museum4 ,it is a     

replica1 somewhat less brilliant in     
colour1 of the picture at ,windsor      
,castle4  ,illustration3 ,,plate        
,,iii4--,,queen ,,charlotte  ,of all the
 artists of this golden epoch1 which    
produced such men as ,reynolds and      
,raeburn1 ,romney1 ,hoppner1 ,lawrence1 
and ,turner1 the most brilliant and the 
most versatile was undoubtedly ,thomas  
,gainsborough4     ,,ii                 
,,gainsborough',s ,,early               
,,life--,,ipswich ,,and ,,bath   ,thomas
 ,gainsborough was born at ,sudbury in  
,suffolk in ,may #agbg2 he was thus four
 years younger than ,reynolds1 thirteen 
years younger than ,wilson4 ,he came    
from a respectable family of old        
standing and in comfortable             
circumstances4 ,his father1 ,john       
,gainsborough1 was a clothier by trade1 
and of his mother little is known save  
that she was a gentle and kind woman1   
very indulgent to her children4 ,they   
had four daughters and five sons1 of    
whom ,thomas was the youngest4 ,thomas  

was far from diligent at school2 he     
filled his copy-books with sketches1 and
 was not loth to play the truant in     
order to get into the woods and meadows1
 where he would sit drawing trees1      
flowers1 or cattle4 ,a story is even    
told of his having forged his father's  
name to a note asking the schoolmaster  
to give ,tom a holiday4 ,when his father
 saw the forged note he exclaimed1 ,the 
boy will come to be hanged6 but when he 
was shown the sketches which his son had
 made during his hours of stolen liberty
 he changed his verdict to ,the boy will
 be a genius6  ,whatever there may be of
 truth in this pretty story1 a genius   
,tom turned out to be1 and he certainly 
showed the most remarkable talent when  
quite a boy4 ,there is a picture by him1
 painted many years later1 the history  
of which shows that even at this early  
age he was capable of drawing a man's   
head rapidly and with great fidelity to 
the model4 ,the picture is called ,tom  
,peartree's ,portrait1 and is a         

reminiscence of an incident in the      
painter's childhood4 ,he was sitting one
 day in his father's garden1 concealed  
by bushes1 sketching an old pear tree1  
when he caught sight of the head of a   
peasant looking over the wall at the    
ripe fruit4 ,the expression of eager    
cupidity in the man's face amused the   
boy1 who included it in his sketch2 he  
afterwards showed it to his father1 who 
recognised the peasant and was able1    
much to the latter's confusion1 to tax  
him with the intention of stealing his  
pears4  ,such anecdotes serve to show   
the artist's extraordinary facility with
 his pencil even as a child1 when he had
 as yet had no training or tuition of   
any kind4 ,the same valuable quality is 
evidenced in the works of his maturity1 
by the marvellous freedom of his        
technique1 and the brilliancy of his    
brushwork4  ,his father showed no       
opposition to his obvious vocation1 and 
at the age of fourteen sent him to      
,london to study painting4 ,it is       

uncertain whether he went direct to the 
studio of ,hayman1 or whether he worked 
first for a while with ,gravelot4       
,hayman was a portrait-painter of       
ability1 a companion and to some extent 
an imitator of ,hogarth2 with him young 
,gainsborough learned the rudiments of  
his art1 the use of brush and colours1  
and the principles of composition2 but  
,hayman could teach him little more1 and
 after staying with him four years he   
returned to ,sudbury4 ,it was not long  
after his return home that he got       
married1 an event which is amusingly    
related by ,cunningham3 ,it happened1 in
 one of his pictorial excursions amongst
 the woods of ,suffolk1 that he sat down
 to make a sketch of some fine trees1   
with sheep reposing below1 and some     
wood-doves roosting above1 when a young 
woman entered unexpectedly upon the     
scene1 and was at once admitted into the
 landscape and the feelings of the      
artist4 ,the name of this young lady was
 ,margaret ,burr2 she was of ,scottish  

extraction and in her sixteenth year1   
and to the charms of good sense and good
 looks she added a clear annuity of two 
hundred pounds4 ,these are matters which
 no writer of romance would overlook1   
and were accordingly felt by a young1 an
 ardent1 and susceptible man3 nor must  
,i omit to tell that country rumour     
conferred other attractions--she was    
said to be the natural daughter of one  
of our exiled princes2 nor was she when 
a wife and a mother desirous of having  
this circumstance forgotten4 ,on an     
occasion of household festivity1 when   
her husband was high in fame1 she       
vindicated some little ostentation in   
her dress by whispering to her niece1   
now ,mrs4 ,lane1 ',i have some right to 
this2 for you know1 my love1 ,i am a    
prince's daughter4' ,prince's daughter  
or not she was wooed and won by         
,gainsborough1 and made him a kind1 a   
prudent1 and a submissive wife4 ,the    
courtship was short4 ,the young pair    
left ,sudbury1 leased a small house at a

 rent of six pounds a year in ,ipswich1 
and making themselves happy in mutual   
love1 conceived they were settled for   
life4  ,it was at ,ipswich1 and not long
 after his arrival there1 that          
,gainsborough made the acquaintance of  
,philip ,thicknesse1 then ,governor of  
,landguard ,fort1 a man who was to      
exercise considerable influence upon the
 artist's life1 and to whom we owe much 
information concerning him4 ,thicknesse1
 although he afterwards quarrelled with 
the painter1 and slandered him in a     
venomous pamphlet1 was at first a highly
 useful friend and not ungenerous       
patron4 ,upon his commission            
,gainsborough painted what was probably 
his first important landscape2 it was a 
view of ,landguard ,fort1 with figures  
and sheep in the foreground1 and the    
sea1 with the estuary of the ,stour1 in 
the distance4 ,this picture was         
unfortunately destroyed through being   
hung upon a wall built with mortar mixed
 with sea water2 but we have an         

excellent engraving of it by ,major1 and
 this shows the original to have been a 
very fine composition4 ,as remuneration 
,thicknesse gave the artist thirty      
guineas1 and lent him a violin upon     
which ,gainsborough soon acquired       
considerable proficiency4 ,he retained  
through life the taste for music of     
which we find in this incident the first
 evidence2 indeed he seems to have been 
at least as proud of his achievements in
 this direction as he was of the        
creations of his magic brush4  ,through 
the protection of ,thicknesse           
,gainsborough had at this time no lack  
of commissions for both landscapes and  
portraits4 ,of the latter1 the most     
important is that of ,admiral ,vernon in
 the ,national ,portrait ,gallery1 in   
which the red coat is painted with      
extreme care4 ,to this period belongs   
the ,miss ,hippisley1 in the collection 
of ,sir ,edward ,tennant1 and also the  
heads of his two daughters in the       
,forster collection at ,south           

,kensington ,museum4   ,,plate          
,,iv4--,,the ,,blue ,,boy       ,this   
world-famous picture1 which belongs to  
the ,duke of      ,westminster1 at      
,grosvenor ,house1 is a portrait of     
,jonathan      ,buttall--the son of a   
wealthy ironmonger who lived in ,london 
at the corner of ,king ,street and      
,greek ,street1 ,soho--in ,van          
,dyck costume4       ,probably painted  
at ,bath about #aggb4  ,illustration3   
,,plate ,,iv4--,,the ,,blue ,,boy  ,most
 of ,gainsborough's biographers have    
treated ,thicknesse with but scant      
justice4 ,no doubt he was a             
self-satisfied and overbearing man1 who 
had the failing of wishing to manage the
 lives of those who came into contact   
with him1 and who was equally prompt to 
take offence1 and to offend in          
retaliation those who would not be led  
by his dictatorial advice4 ,but in the  
case of ,gainsborough1 he certainly     
rendered him the most inappreciable     
services1 and in the quarrel that       

followed the artist was probably almost 
as much to blame as the patron4 ,be that
 as it may1 it was on ,thicknesse's     
initiative1 and on his initiative alone1
 that ,gainsborough removed from        
,ipswich to ,bath in the year #ageh4    
,the importance of this move cannot be  
overrated1 and posterity1 no less than  
the painter himself1 owes to ,philip    
,thicknesse a considerable debt of      
gratitude for having been instrumental  
in bringing it to pass4 ,the horizon at 
,ipswich was strictly limited2 and      
although no doubt ,gainsborough's genius
 was inborn1 he would probably1 had he  
remained in ,suffolk1 never have        
developed into the superb painter who   
must ever be one of the most dazzling   
stars of the artistic universe4 ,we     
shall have occasion later to return to  
this change of scene and to its         
influence on ,gainsborough's life-work4 
,it was ,thicknesse then who persuaded  
,gainsborough to leave ,ipswich and to  
settle at ,bath4 ,much to the terror of 

frugal ,mrs4 ,gainsborough1 the painter1
 still acting on his patron's guidance1 
took a house in the ,circus at the      
annual rental of ,l#ej4 ,thicknesse had 
many friends at ,bath1 and to them he   
warmly recommended his protege4 ,whether
 it was through the influence of        
,thicknesse1 or by the sole force of the
 artist's own genius1 success was soon  
forthcoming and sitters flocked to his  
studio4 ,his previous charge of five    
guineas for a half-length portrait was  
almost immediately raised to eight1 and 
before very long his patrons became so  
numerous that he was able to demand no  
less than forty guineas for a           
half-length1 and one hundred guineas for
 a full-length1 very high prices for    
those days4  ,during his stay at ,bath  
,gainsborough devoted much of his time  
and energy to music2 he acquired many   
musical instruments of various kinds1   
and tried his hand at all of them4 ,the 
viol da gamba was apparently his        
favourite1 and in one of his letters to 

his friend ,jackson of ,exeter he       
mentions that he possesses five of these
 instruments4 ,he heard ,giardini1 the  
then unrivalled violinist1 and had no   
rest till he purchased the very         
instrument that the ,italian played on1 
but1 says ,jackson1 seemed much         
surprised that the music remained with  
,giardini4 ,in the same way he acquired 
,abel's viol da gamba2 having heard     
,fischer1 he bought a hautboy1 then     
suddenly developed enthusiasm for the   
harp1 and thus passing from instrument  
to instrument he never had the          
perseverance to play any one of them    
with any degree of perfection4 ,in this 
connection ,jackson relates an amusing  
anecdote of one of his most extravagant 
acquisitions3 ,upon seeing a theorbo in 
a picture of ,van ,dyck's he concluded  
7perhaps because it was finely painted7 
that the theorbo must be a fine         
instrument4 ,he recollected to have     
heard of a ,german professor1 and       
ascending per varios gradus to his      

garret1 found him there at dinner upon a
 roasted apple1 and smoking a pipe4     
',i am come1' says he1 'to buy your     
lute4 ,come1 name your      price1 and  
here is your money4'       ',i cannot   
shell my lude6'       ',no2 not for a   
guinea or two1 but by ,g-- you must sell
 it4'       ',my lude ish wert much     
monnay6 ,it ish wert ten guineas4'      
',that it is4 ,see1 here is the money6' 
',well1 if ,i musht2 but you will not   
take it away yourself6'       ',yes1    
yes4 ,good-bye----'       7,after he had
 gone down he came up again47       ',i 
have done but half my errand4 ,what is  
your lute worth if      ,i have not your
 book8'       ',whad poog1 ,maishter    
,cainsporough8'       ',why1 the book of
 airs you have composed for the lute4'  
',ah1 py ,cot1 ,i can never part wit my 
poog6'   ,,plate ,v4--,,the ,,hon4      
,,mrs4 ,,graham       ,this portrait of 
the ,hon4 ,mary ,graham 7second daughter
 of      ,charles1 ninth ,lord          
,cathcart7 is in the ,national ,gallery 

of      ,scotland4 ,another portrait of 
the same lady shown in the      dress of
 a housemaid1 standing in a doorway with
 a broom1 is      supposed to be a      
rejected design for this picture1 and is
 in      the collection of the ,earl of 
,carlisle4 ,her husband      afterwards 
became ,lord ,lynedoch4       ,this     
picture was painted in #agge-aggf1 was  
locked up in a      ,london store for   
fifty years1 but fortunately recovered4 
,illustration3 ,,plate ,v4--,,the ,,hon4
 ,,mrs4 ,,graham       ',pooh6 you can  
make another at any time4 ,this is the  
book ,i      mean' 7putting it in his   
pocket74       ',ah1 py ,cot1 ,i        
cannot6'       ',come1 come2 here's     
another ten guineas for your book4 ,so1 
once more good-day t'ye4' 7,descends    
again2 and again comes      up47 ',but  
what use is your book to me if ,i don't 
understand      it8 ,and your lute--you 
may take it again if you won't teach    
me to play on it4 ,come home with me and
 give me my first      lesson4'         

',i will come to-morrow4'       ',you   
must come now4'       ',i musht tress   
myshelf4'       ',for what8 ,you are the
 best figure ,i have seen to-day4'      
',i musht be shave4'       ',i honour   
your beard6'       ',i musht bud on my  
wick4'       ',d--n your wig6 ,your cap 
and beard become you4 ,do you think     
if ,van ,dyck was to paint you he'd let 
you be shaved8'  ,in this way he        
frittered away his musical talents1 and 
though possessed of ear1 taste1 and     
genius1 he never had application enough 
to learn his notes4 ,he seemed to take  
the first step1 the second was1 of      
course1 out of his reach1 and the summit
 became unattainable4  ,gainsborough    
made many friends in ,bath2 mention has 
already been made of ,william ,jackson  
of ,exeter1 with whom he was in constant
 correspondence1 and many of the letters
 that passed between them are still in  
existence4 ,he became friendly with     
,david ,garrick1 whose portrait he      
painted several times1 and another actor

 with whom he was on very intimate terms
 was ,john ,henderson4 ,he remained at  
,bath sixteen years1 and it was probably
 his quarrel with ,thicknesse which     
induced him to migrate once more in     
#aggd4  ,the true circumstances of his  
breaking with his earliest patron are   
not easy to unravel2 as is usual in such
 cases there are two sides to the story1
 and the truth probably lies somewhere  
between the two4 ,one fact stands out   
clearly1 namely1 that there never was   
any considerable friendship between     
,thicknesse and ,mrs4 ,gainsborough2    
each was probably jealous of the other's
 ascendency over the artist1 and the    
,governor in his account of their       
differences makes her appear as the     
instigator of ,gainsborough's behaviour 
towards himself1 and lays practically   
all the responsibility at her door4  ,it
 seems that shortly after the           
,gainsboroughs settled in ,bath a       
full-length portrait of ,miss ,ford1 who
 afterwards became ,thicknesse's second 

wife1 was painted and presented to that 
gentleman4 ,all the trouble arose       
through his desire to possess his own   
portrait as a companion to that of his  
wife4 ,we have already seen what a mania
 ,gainsborough had for the viol da      
gamba2 ,mrs4 ,thicknesse had a very fine
 instrument1 made in the year #afab1 of 
exquisite workmanship and mellifluous   
tone1 and which was certainly worth a   
hundred guineas4 ,this instrument       
,gainsborough coveted1 and many a time  
he offered that price for it4 ,one      
night1 ,thicknesse relates1 we asked him
 and his family to supper with us1 after
 which ,mrs4 ,thicknesse1 putting the   
instrument before him1 desired he would 
play one of his best lessons upon it2   
this1 ,i say1 was after supper1 for till
 poor ,gainsborough had got a little    
borrowed courage 7such was his natural  
modesty71 he could neither play nor     
sing6 ,he then played1 and charmingly   
too1 one of his dear friend ,abel's     
lessons1 and ,mrs4 ,thicknesse told him 

he deserved the instrument for his      
reward1 and desired his acceptance of   
it1 but said1 ',at your leisure give me 
my husband's picture to hang by the side
 of my own4' ,gainsborough was          
transported with delight and readily    
agreed4 ,the very next day he began the 
portrait1 finished the head1 put in a   
,newfoundland dog at the sitter's feet1 
and roughly sketched in the remainder of
 the picture4 ,there1 however1 he       
stopped1 and never touched it again2    
requests1 prayers1 and remonstrances    
were in vain1 and one day in a fit of   
temper ,gainsborough sent back the viol 
da gamba to ,mrs4 ,thicknesse1 and      
shortly afterwards also sent the        
unfinished picture just as it was4 ,at  
this ,thicknesse was of course much     
offended4 ,every time1 he says1 ,i went 
into the room where that scarecrow hung 
it gave me so painful a sensation that  
,i protest it often turned me sick1 and 
in one of those sick fits ,i desired    
,mrs4 ,thicknesse would return the      

picture to ,mr4 ,gainsborough4 ,this she
 consented to do1 provided ,i would     
permit her to send with it a card1      
expressing her sentiments at the same   
time1 to which ,i am sorry to say ,i too
 hastily consented4 ,in that card she   
bid him take his brush1 and first rub   
out the countenance of the truest and   
warmest friend he ever had1 and so done1
 then blot him for ever from his memory4
  ,such is ,thicknesse's own story of   
the quarrel1 but according to ,allan    
,cunningham1 ,gainsborough did actually1
 without her husband's knowledge1 give  
,mrs4 ,thicknesse a hundred guineas for 
the viol da gamba1 and then did not     
consider it incumbent upon him to pay   
twice over by painting the portrait4    
,this is1 however1 hardly a plausible   
tale and the probabilities are that     
,thicknesse's version is nearer the     
truth4 ,however that may be the long    
friendship between the artist and his   
protector came to an end1 and           
,gainsborough having taken a dislike to 

,bath removed to ,london4     ,,iii     
,,gainsborough',s ,,life ,,in           
,,london--,,last ,,years ,,and ,,death  
,gainsborough was forty-seven years of  
age when he came to settle definitely in
 ,london2 his genius had reached the    
highest point of its development4 ,this 
new change of scene1 great and important
 though it was1 cannot be looked upon as
 being by any means so risky an         
experiment as his move from ,ipswich to 
,bath4 ,he had by this time a firmly    
established connection1 and it must not 
be forgotten that in those days ,bath   
was a highly fashionable watering-place1
 bearing to ,london very much the same  
relation as the ,french ,riviera does at
 the present time4 ,everybody who was   
anybody socially in the capital was a   
more or less frequent visitor to ,bath1 
and ,gainsborough during his stay there 
had ample opportunities to make         
acquaintances which were bound to stand 
him in good stead when he came to       
,london4 ,thicknesse1 however1 even     

after their quarrel1 could not refrain  
from sending him forth once more under  
his particular patronage2 he wrote to   
,lord ,bateman1 a peer of little        
influence or importance1 asking him for 
both our sakes to give him countenance  
and make him known1 that being all which
 is necessary4 ,this sort of thing was  
probably quite superfluous1 for         
,gainsborough was by this time fully    
capable of holding his own even in      
,london4 ,still it remains on record    
that ,lord ,bateman did do his best for 
him1 and himself acquired several of his
 pictures4  ,on their first arrival in  
,london the ,gainsboroughs took quarters
 north of the ,oxford ,road2 a more     
central and more fashionable            
neighbourhood was1 however1 necessary to
 the painter1 and he very soon removed  
to ,schomberg ,house in ,pall ,mall4    
,this house1 which was built by the     
,duke of ,schomberg towards the end of  
the seventeenth century1 was at this    
time the property of the eccentric and  

mediocre painter ,john ,astley1 a fellow
 pupil with ,reynolds under ,hudson4    
,from ,astley ,gainsborough rented a    
third of the house at ,l#cjj a year1    
showing that he had from the first no   
anxiety as to his success in the        
metropolis4 ,an interesting circumstance
 in relation to this house is that some 
seven years later another portion of it 
was occupied by the quack ,dr4 ,graham1 
who installed there his ,temple of      
,health4 ,in some of the strange and not
 very legitimate ceremonies carried on  
in this ,temple1 the part of goddess of 
health was played by none other than    
,emma ,lyon or ,hart1 who was destined  
to become so famous as the lovely ,lady 
,hamilton4 ,gainsborough must have met  
her1 and although we have no actual     
portrait from his hand of this          
wonderfully beautiful creature1 it is   
suggested by ,sir ,walter ,armstrong    
that she may have sat for the picture of
 ,musidora in the ,national ,gallery1   
one of the very rare attempts at the    

nude which ,gainsborough is known to    
have made4   ,,plate ,,vi4--,,the       
,,duchess ,,of ,,devonshire  7,in the   
collection of ,earl ,spencer1 ,k4,g47   
,this delightful painting1 one of the   
gems of the ,althorp      collection1 is
 considered to be one of the master's   
greatest      achievements in           
full-length portraits4  ,illustration3  
,,plate ,,vi4--,,the ,,duchess ,,of     
,,devonshire  ,in ,london ,gainsborough 
came into personal contact with ,sir    
,joshua ,reynolds1 probably for the     
first time1 although from a note of     
,walpole in his catalogue of the ,royal 
,academy of #aggc it would appear that  
they had been in touch with one another 
some years previously1 ,walpole's words 
being3 ,gainsborough and ,dance1 having 
disagreed with ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1  
did not send any pictures to this       
exhibition4 ,when the ,academy was      
founded in #agfh ,gainsborough was one  
of the original members1 and to the     
first four exhibitions he sent from     

,bath seventeen portraits and fifteen   
landscapes4 ,then for four years1 no    
doubt on account of the disagreement    
mentioned by ,walpole1 he exhibited     
nothing until #aggg1 when his name      
reappears in the catalogue with         
portraits of the ,duke and ,duchess of  
,cumberland4  ,the vogue of             
,gainsborough was now at its height1 and
 a long series of portraits of royal    
personages began to occupy his easel4   
,it was one of these which1 a few years 
later1 led to his final quarrel with the
 ,royal ,academy4 ,to the exhibition of 
#aghc he had sent eight portraits and   
portrait groups1 including one of the   
three ,eldest ,princesses4 ,he sent the 
frames only in the first instance1 but  
kept back that of the princesses1 the   
king and queen having expressed a wish  
to view the picture before it was sent  
to the ,academy4 ,there was then a rule 
of the exhibition1 one which is still in
 force1 that full-length portraits could
 not be hung on the line1 and by some   

misapprehension1 it must have been      
thought by the hanging committee that   
this was a full-length group4           
,gainsborough must have heard of the    
place which had been assigned to it1 and
 he sent the following curt note to     
,somerset ,house1 where the ,royal      
,academy exhibitions were then held3--  
,mr4 ,gainsborough presents his         
,compliments to the ,gentlemen          
appointed to hang the pictures at the   
,royal ,academy1 and      begs leave to 
hint to them that if the ,royal ,family1
 which      he has sent for this        
,exhibition 7being smaller than         
three-quarters71 are hung above the line
 along with      full-lengths1 he never 
more1 whilst he breathes1 will send     
another ,picture to the ,exhibition4    
,this he swears by ,god4       ,saturday
 morn4  ,this letter did not have the   
desired effect1 so ,gainsborough        
withdrew his pictures and never         
exhibited again4 ,it would appear that  
such a quarrel1 obviously the result of 

a misunderstanding1 could easily have   
been adjusted by the ,president1 had he 
felt inclined to interfere2 but ,sir    
,joshua evidently preferred to let      
matters take their course1 and so the   
break became permanent4  ,there never   
was any great sympathy between the two  
men1 although their mutual admiration   
for each other's work was considerable4 
,their characters were essentially      
different1 and although they frequently 
shared the same sitters1 and had some   
friends in common1 they lived in a      
social atmosphere entirely distinct4 ,on
 the other hand they never were enemies1
 nor had any serious personal quarrel2  
at one time it even seemed as though    
they might be drawn into friendship1 and
 ,gainsborough started painting the     
,president's portrait2 this1 however1   
shared the fate of ,thicknesse's years  
before and got no further than the first
 sitting4 ,their relations were such1   
however1 that ,gainsborough was able to 
call ,reynolds to his death-bed1        

although they had probably had no       
intercourse for years4 ,the pathetic    
story of ,gainsborough's last illness is
 best told in the words of ,allan       
,cunningham3 ,though ,gainsborough was  
not partial to the society of literary  
men1 he seems to have been acquainted   
with ,johnson and with ,burke1 and he   
lived on terms of great affection with  
,richard ,brinsley ,sheridan4 ,he was   
also a welcome visitor at the table of  
,sir ,george ,beaumont1 a gentleman of  
graceful manners1 who lived in old      
,english dignity1 and was1 besides1 a   
lover of literature and a painter of    
landscape4 ,the latter loved to relate a
 curious anecdote of ,gainsborough1     
which marks the unequal spirit of the   
man1 and shows that he was the slave of 
wayward impulses which he could neither 
repress nor command4 ,sir ,george       
,beaumont1 ,sheridan1 and ,gainsborough 
had dined together1 and the latter was  
more than usually pleasant and witty4   
,the meeting was so much to their mutual

 satisfaction that they agreed to have  
another day's happiness1 and accordingly
 an early day was named when they should
 dine again together4 ,they met1 but a  
cloud had descended upon the spirit of  
,gainsborough1 and he sat silent with a 
look of fixed melancholy1 which no wit  
could dissipate4 ,at length he took     
,sheridan by the hand1 led him out of   
the room1 and said1 ,now1 don't laugh1  
but listen4 ,i shall die soon--,i know  
it--,i feel it4 ,i have less time to    
live than my looks infer2 but for this  
,i care not4 ,what oppresses my mind is 
this3 ,i have many acquaintances and few
 friends2 and as ,i wish to have one    
worthy man to accompany me to the grave1
 ,i am desirous of bespeaking you4 ,will
 you come2 aye or no8 ,sheridan could   
scarcely repress a smile as he made the 
required promise2 the looks of          
,gainsborough cleared up like the       
sunshine of one of his own landscapes2  
throughout the rest of the evening his  
wit flowed and his humour ran over1 and 

the minutes1 like those of the poet1    
winged their way with pleasure4  ,about 
a year after the promise obtained from  
,sheridan to attend his funeral he went 
to hear the impeachment of ,warren      
,hastings1 and1 sitting with his back to
 an open window1 suddenly felt something
 inconceivably cold touch his neck above
 the shirt collar4 ,it was accompanied  
with stiffness and pain4 ,on returning  
home he mentioned what he felt to his   
wife and his niece1 and on looking they 
saw a mark about the size of a shilling1
 which was harder to the touch than the 
surrounding skin1 and which he said     
still felt cold4 ,the application of    
flannel did not remove it1 and the      
artist becoming alarmed1 consulted one  
after the other the most eminent        
surgeons of ,london--,john ,hunter      
himself the last4 ,they all declared    
there was no danger2 but there was that 
presentiment upon ,gainsborough from    
which none perhaps escape4 ,he laid his 
hand repeatedly on his neck and said to 

his sister1 who had hastened to ,london 
to see him1 ,if this be a cancer1 ,i am 
a dead man4 ,and a cancer it proved to  
be4 ,when this cruel disease fairly     
discovered itself1 it was found to be   
inextricably interwoven with the threads
 of life1 and he prepared himself for   
death with cheerfulness and perfect     
composure4 ,he desired to be buried near
 his friend ,kirby in ,kew churchyard1  
and that his name only should be cut on 
his grave-stone4 ,he sent for ,reynolds1
 and peace was made between them4       
,gainsborough exclaimed to ,sir ,joshua3
 ,we are all going to heaven1 and ,van  
,dyck is of the company1 and immediately
 expired--,august #bnd1 #aghh1 in the   
sixty-first year of his age4 ,sheridan  
and the president attended him to the   
grave4   ,,plate ,,vii4--,,mrs4         
,,robinson--,perdita  7,at the ,wallace 
,collection7       ,this portrait of the
 beautiful actress is one of            
,gainsborough's finest masterpieces4    
,the lightness1      dexterity1 and     

transparency of the pigment is almost   
unrivalled1 not only in this artist's   
work1 but in any      picture of the    
eighteenth century4 ,it hangs in the    
,wallace      ,collection at ,hertford  
,house2 a smaller sketch of the same    
subject is at ,windsor ,castle4         
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vii4--,,mrs4   
,,robinson--,perdita  ,gainsborough left
 two daughters1 whose portraits he      
painted several times4 ,the elder one1  
,margaret1 did not marry2 while the     
younger1 ,mary1 was secretly wedded in  
#aghj to her father's friend1 ,johann   
,christian ,fischer1 the hautboy player4
 ,this marriage caused ,gainsborough    
much trouble2 he foresaw that the       
musician's irritability and eccentric   
behaviour on many occasions could not   
conduce to the happiness of his         
daughter2 however1 to quote his own     
letter to his sister1 ,mrs4 ,gibbon1 ,as
 it was too late for me to alter        
anything without being the cause of     
total unhappiness on both sides1 my     

consent1 which was a mere compliment to 
affect to ask1 ,i needs must give4 ,the 
father's foreboding was only too fully  
justified2 the union turned out very    
unhappy from the first1 and within a    
year or so husband and wife separated4  
,both sisters were mentally deficient1  
and their aberrations increased with age
 to the point of total derangement4     
,mary1 soon after her marriage1 became  
subject to wild hallucinations1 perhaps 
the most reasonable 7as ,fulcher puts   
it7 being that the ,prince of ,wales was
 pursuing her with his love4 ,after her 
mother's death she went to live with her
 sister1 whose mental condition was even
 worse than her own2 they would receive 
no visitors who did not belong to the   
nobility1 so that many who wished to    
gain admittance to the house were       
obliged to assume titles which they did 
not possess4 ,margaret died about #ahbd1
 and ,mary a year or two later2 before  
her death she insisted on presenting to 
the king the portrait of ,fischer1      

painted by her father at ,bath about    
forty years before2 this portrait is now
 in the ,royal ,collection4  ,of        
,gainsborough's personality and         
character much has no doubt been        
gathered from the preceding pages4 ,his 
physical appearance is familiar from his
 own portraits of himself1 and from that
 which ,zoffany painted of him4 ,he was 
handsome1 tall and strong1 with large   
features and a broad if not very high   
forehead2 the small eyes are quick and  
observant1 the mouth sensitive and      
rather undecided4 ,in the choice of his 
friends he attached little importance to
 breeding and none to social position2  
he was generous and open-handed to all1 
with money to his relations and often   
indiscriminately with his works to      
friends or mere acquaintances3 on one   
occasion he gave his picture of the ,boy
 at the ,stile to ,colonel ,hamilton    
7equally well known at the time as an   
amateur violinist and a gentleman       
pugilist7 for having played him a solo  

on the violin2 to ,wiltshire1 the       
carrier who took his pictures from ,bath
 to ,london1 and who refused to take    
payment in money from the artist1 he    
presented many valuable landscapes4     
,intellectually he was extremely gifted2
 although his education in his youth was
 much neglected his letters show him to 
have been by no means ignorant or       
uncultivated4 ,they also bear the       
impress of his spontaneous wit and keen 
humour2 of this quality there is        
evidence in numerous anecdotes4 ,an old 
man of the labouring class1 named       
,fowler1 used to sit to him at ,bath2 on
 the studio mantelpiece stood a child's 
skull1 the gift of a medical friend4    
,fowler1 without moving his position1   
continually peered at it askance1 with  
inquisitive eye4 ',ah6 ,master ,fowler1'
 said the painter1 'that is a mighty    
curiosity4' ',what might it be1 sir1 if 
,i may make so bold8' ',a whale's eye1' 
was the grave reply4 ',no1 no1 never say
 so1 ,muster ,gainsborough4 ,sir1 it is 

a little child's skull6' ',you have hit 
it1' said the wag4 ',why1 ,fowler1      
you're a witch6 ,but what will you say  
when ,i tell you it is the skull of     
,julius ,caesar when he was a little    
boy6' ',laws6' cried ,fowler1 'what a   
phenomenon6'  ,gainsborough's temper was
 very hasty1 quite opposed to the       
patient courtliness of ,reynolds4 ,when 
a certain peer or alderman1 posing1 with
 boundless self-satisfaction1 for his   
portrait1 begged the artist not to      
overlook the dimple in his chin1 ,damn  
the dimple in your chin1 ,i will paint  
neither the one nor the other6 was the  
uncompromising rejoinder4  ,these       
stories1 unimportant as they are1 serve 
to give an insight into the man's       
character2 but whatever his personal    
faults and qualities may or may not have
 been it is with his works that         
posterity is chiefly concerned1 and by  
them and them alone that ,gainsborough  
must be judged4     ,,iv                
,,gainsborough',s ,,works   ,the works  

of ,gainsborough may be divided into    
three chronological groups1 just as his 
life was divided between three distinct 
localities4 ,but whereas there is a     
definite and fundamental difference     
between the pictures painted at ,ipswich
 and those of the remainder of his life1
 there is not to any similar extent a   
determined demarkation between his      
productions at ,bath and those of his   
last and most glorious years in ,london4
  ,it has been seen that ,gainsborough  
used palette and brush from at least the
 age of fourteen1 when he went to       
,london to study with ,hayman4 ,but the 
productions of this very early period   
are extremely difficult to identify4    
,the ,national ,gallery of ,ireland     
possesses two drawings in pencil1       
portraits of a man and a woman1 on each 
of which appears the signature ,tho3    
,gainsborough fecit #agdc-agdd4 ,these1 
the earliest extant attempts of         
,gainsborough in portraiture are hard   
and laboured in execution1 but the heads

 are well-modelled and full of          
character2 they must have been done in  
,london before his return to his native 
,sudbury4  ,a similar hardness and      
elaborate care and attention to detail  
characterises the early landscapes      
painted in ,suffolk4 ,the only pictures 
of the old masters to which the young   
artist could have had access at this    
period were landscapes of ,dutch        
painters such as ,ruysdael1 ,hobbema1   
and ,wynants4 ,their influence is       
obvious in his own early productions1   
especially that of ,wynants2 the most   
important work of this character is the 
large landscape belonging to ,mr4 ,j4   
,d4 ,cobbold of ,ipswich2 it is an      
elaborate composition1 semi-classical in
 style1 with conventional hills in the  
distance1 and a carefully put in group  
of cattle and figures in the foreground4
 ,this is the sort of thing that        
,thicknesse must have found in the      
painter's studio upon his first visit1  
together with the portrait of ,admiral  

,vernon 7now in the ,national ,portrait 
,gallery71 and others which the         
,governor describes as truly drawn1     
perfectly like1 but stiffly painted and 
worse coloured4  ,the ,landguard ,fort  
was commissioned by ,thicknesse shortly 
after the artist's marriage and removal 
to ,ipswich1 and must therefore have    
been painted between #agdg and #agej2 it
 thus establishes an important landmark 
in the painter's early years1 and       
although the original is unfortunately  
lost1 it is possible from the engraving 
of it1 which still exists1 to           
approximately date other early          
landscapes of ,gainsborough4 ,to about  
the same time probably belongs the ,view
 in ,suffolk of the ,irish ,national    
,gallery1 while the ,cornard ,wood in   
the ,national ,gallery1 somewhat more   
free in execution1 is slightly later4   
,of the portraits of this period very   
few can be traced1 and it is probable   
that no large number were painted4 ,the 
,admiral ,vernon has already been       

mentioned and also the ,miss ,hippisley 
7,sir ,edward ,tennant's collection71   
and the heads of the artist's daughters 
at ,south ,kensington4 ,there are also  
in existence two half-length ovals of   
,mr4 ,robert ,edgar and ,miss ,katherine
 ,edgar1 the latter probably one of the 
best examples of ,gainsborough's later  
years in ,suffolk4 ,they all show the   
same characteristic tightness1 and a    
lack of that marvellous freedom for     
which his later works are so remarkable4
   ,,plate ,,viii4--,,miss ,,haverfield 
7,at the ,wallace ,collection7          
,portraits of children by ,gainsborough 
are not frequent1      although he      
introduced country boys and lasses into 
his      landscapes with the greatest   
success4 ,this example in the           
,wallace ,collection possesses a charm  
which makes one regret      that his    
youthful sitters were not more numerous4
  ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,viii4--,,miss
 ,,haverfield  ,almost directly after   
his settlement at ,bath the artist's    

manner changed very appreciably4 ,this  
was probably due chiefly to the fact    
that he was able in the neighbourhood of
 ,bath to see and study the works of    
great masters of the past1 and notably  
the great family group by ,van ,dyck at 
,wilton ,house4 ,he no doubt also had   
access to the fine array of works by    
,rubens then hanging at ,blenheim and   
unfortunately now dispersed4 ,the       
paintings of these masters seem to have 
disclosed to ,gainsborough the          
possibilities of his materials1 and from
 this moment his artistic development is
 rapid and decided1 much more rapid than
 is generally believed4 ,most people    
imagine that all his best works date    
from the years of his life in ,london   
after #aggd1 and that the pictures of   
his ,bath period1 previous to that year1
 are comparatively much inferior4 ,this 
is quite a mistake1 for many of his most
 famous works were in fact painted at   
,bath and his genius had reached its    
full maturity long before he settled in 

,pall ,mall4 ,the fine half-length of   
,miss ,linley and her brother1 belonging
 to ,lord ,sackville at ,knole1 ,lord   
,burton's ,lady ,sussex and ,lady       
,barbara ,yelverton1 the large          
equestrian portrait of ,general         
,honywood1 several portraits of         
,garrick1 such landscapes as those      
belonging to ,lord ,tweedmouth1 ,lord   
,bateman1 and ,mr4 ,lionel ,phillipps   
were all painted at ,bath1 as was       
probably also the immortal ,blue ,boy   
itself4  ,one of the first of           
,gainsborough's sitters after his       
arrival at ,bath was ,mr4 ,robert       
,craggs ,nugent1 afterwards ,viscount   
,clare and ,earl ,nugent1 whose         
full-length portrait was the first      
picture ever sent by the artist to a    
public exhibition4 ,it was shown at the 
,spring ,garden ,exhibition of the      
,society of ,artists of ,great ,britain 
in #agfa and now belongs to ,sir ,george
 ,nugent4 ,in the following year a      
picture entered in the ,society's       

catalogue as ,a whole-length portrait of
 a gentleman with a gun1 has been       
identified as the picture1 now at       
,althorp1 of ,william ,poyntz1 brother  
of ,georgiana1 the first ,countess      
,spencer1 herself the mother of that    
more famous ,georgiana1 ,duchess of     
,devonshire4 ,both the mother and the   
daughter were painted about the same    
time1 the latter as a little girl of    
five or six years of age4 ,these two    
pictures of the usual half-length size  
are also at ,althorp4  ,year by year    
,gainsborough continued sending         
portraits and landscapes to the         
,society's exhibitions1 the huge canvas 
of ,general ,honywood on horseback      
hanging there in #agfe2 the next year   
came1 among others1 the full-length     
portrait of ,garrick leaning against a  
bust of ,shakespeare1 painted for the   
,town ,hall1 ,stratford-on-,avon1 where 
it still hangs4  ,in #agfi the ,royal   
,academy opened its first exhibition2   
,gainsborough was represented by four   

pictures1 including a whole-length      
portrait of ,isabella1 ,lady ,molyneux1 
afterwards ,countess of ,sefton1 and    
another of ,george ,pitt1 first ,lord   
,rivers4 ,in #aggj we find six pictures 
and a book of drawings1 in the following
 year five full-lengths and two         
landscapes1 and in #aggb no less than   
fourteen pictures1 four of which were   
portraits1 and ten drawings in imitation
 of oil-painting2 these latter1 of which
 a few exist1 are curious productions   
drawn in water-colour on thick coarse   
paper laid down on canvas and then      
varnished2 the process is not a very    
happy one1 and the artist's fancy for it
 does not appear to have been lasting4  
,for the four following years           
,gainsborough's name is absent from the 
,academy catalogues from the cause      
already mentioned of a disagreement with
 ,reynolds as recorded by ,walpole4 ,but
 during this time ,gainsborough no doubt
 continued to turn out heads in great   
numbers1 and not a few full-lengths1 to 

say nothing of landscapes of varying    
size and importance4 ,several of these  
half-lengths are in the ,national       
,portrait ,gallery and the ,national    
,gallery1 while a considerable number   
are to be found in private collections4 
,sir ,walter ,armstrong1 in his         
monumental work on ,gainsborough1#a puts
 forward very forcibly the theory that  
the famous ,blue ,boy at ,grosvenor     
,house was painted about the year #aggj 
at ,bath and not in #aggi in ,london1 as
 has been generally supposed4 ,it is    
impossible to reproduce here his closely
 reasoned arguments1 but his conclusion 
is most probably correct that the ,blue 
,boy is a masterpiece of ,gainsborough's
 ,bath period4 ,it is a portrait of a   
certain ,jonathan ,buttall1 a very      
wealthy ironmonger who lived at the     
corner of ,king ,street and ,greek      
,street1 ,soho4 ,he is represented at   
full-length1 standing in a landscape1 in
 a rich blue ,van ,dyck costume1 holding
 a large hat with a white feather in his

 right hand4 ,the history of the picture
 and the manner of its coming into the  
possession of the ,duke of ,westminster 
are uncertain2 it may have been sold    
together with the effects of ,jonathan  
,buttall1 senior1 after the death of his
 widow in #agif1 when all his property  
was disposed of by public auction4 ,it  
seems to have belonged to ,hoppner1 who 
died in #ahaj1 and who probably is the  
author of the very good copy of the     
,blue ,boy which is now in ,america1 and
 has sometimes been looked upon as a    
replica from the master's own hand4  ,to
 this same period in the artist's career
 probably belongs another and almost    
equally famous picture which hangs on   
the same walls as the ,blue ,boy4 ,the  
,duke of ,westminster's ,cottage ,door1 
one of the finest of ,gainsborough's    
landscapes or pastoral scenes1 appears  
to have been a product of the last years
 spent at ,bath1 together with the great
 ,watering ,place at the ,national      
,gallery2 the ,rustic ,children         

belonging to ,lord ,carnarvon and of    
which a small version is also in the    
,national collection2 ,mr4 ,g4 ,l4      
,basset's ,cottage ,girl1 and many other
 landscapes of equal or lesser          
importance4  ,it is therefore fair to   
surmise that had ,gainsborough never    
made his last move from ,bath to ,london
 the world's stock of artistic treasures
 would in all probability not have been 
very much the poorer4 ,that he did      
afterwards create works of greater      
beauty was presumably not the effect of 
his settlement in the metropolis1 but   
merely of the continuance of the natural
 development of his genius2 to the very 
end of his career he continued to profit
 by the lessons of greater experience2  
his touch constantly grew more free1    
more feathery1 his pigment more         
transparent1 his insight into character 
more rapid and more sure4 ,the increased
 elegance and heightened refinement of  
his later portraits may or may not be   
due to a closer touch with the court and

 its immediate surroundings2 but1 from  
what has gone before1 it is clear that  
it is a delusion to speak deprecatingly 
of a ,gainsborough of the ,bath period4 
,it is by no means easy to assign dates 
to most of the pictures painted by      
,gainsborough in ,london4 ,the ,academy 
catalogues provide but slight           
assistance2 for one thing portraits were
 almost invariably unnamed in those days
 and can only be identified in most     
cases by the help of contemporary       
criticism or correspondence2 besides1 as
 we have seen1 ,gainsborough's first    
reappearance at the official exhibition 
took place in #aggg with the portraits  
of the ,duke and ,duchess of            
,cumberland1 and his final quarrel with 
the institution was only a few years    
later4 ,but the beautiful women and men 
of fashion who sat to him were legion4  
,portraits such as that of ,mrs4        
,robinson in the ,wallace ,collection1  
,mrs4 ,siddons in the ,national         
,gallery1 ,the ,hon4 ,mrs4 ,graham in   

the ,scottish ,national ,gallery are too
 well known and too easily accessible to
 need description4 ,many1 however1 of   
his greatest works are hidden away from 
the general public in private           
collections1 and only reveal themselves 
now and again when their owners consent 
to lend them to an exhibition4  ,among  
these is ,lord ,rothschild's ,the       
,morning ,walk1 which may perhaps be    
looked upon as ,gainsborough's most     
perfect masterpiece4 ,it is a portrait  
group of ,squire ,hallett and his wife  
walking in a landscape with a white     
,pomeranian dog4 ,as in many of the     
master's finest achievements the        
colour-scheme is of the soberest        
description2 like the ,lady ,mulgrave or
 ,lord ,normanton's marvellous ,lady    
,mendip it is almost a monochrome4 ,yet1
 by a sort of magic1 such pictures as   
these give the impression of a superb   
melody of colour2 every touch conduces  
to a most perfect harmony1 and the      
effect is obtained by a method so       

personal1 so entirely new to his time1  
that ,reynolds1 speaking of him in one  
of his discourses1 was able to say that 
his handling1 the manner of leaving the 
colours1 444 had very much the          
appearance of the work of an artist who 
had never learned from others the usual 
and regular practice belonging to his   
art4  ,and indeed a survey of           
,gainsborough's life-work leads one to  
agree with the words of ,sir ,joshua1   
but in a wider sense than the ,president
 intended them to apply4 ,gainsborough  
owed little or nothing to the great     
masters of painting who came before him1
 and less to any of his contemporaries4 
,his teachers were ,nature and his own  
sympathy with his subject4 ,nowhere in  
the work of his maturity is there to be 
found any trace of imitation of the     
,dutch or of the ,italian masters4 ,he  
did not pose his models a la ,van ,dyck1
 nor did he borrow his palette from     
,titian2 he is the most ,english of     
,english artists as he is the greatest  

glory of ,english art4 ,he is an        
immortal painter1 says ,ruskin1 and his 
excellence is based on principles of art
 long acknowledged and facts of ,nature 
universally apparent4   ,footnote #a3   
,pages #aba1 #abd4   ,the plates are    
printed by ,,bemrose  ,,sons1 ,,ltd41   
,derby and ,london  ,the text at the    
,,ballantyne ,,press1 ,edinburgh        
99       99       99       99       99  
,transcriber's ,notes  ,paragraphs were 
rejoined on either side of the plates2  
therefore1 some sentences will be found 
on a different page number than the     
original book4  ,the description of the 
painting1 originally preceding the      
illustration by a page1 is displayed    
above the painting1 while the caption   
added below the painting contains only  
the plate number and title for reference
 purposes4  ,double1 single1 and        
mismatched quotation marks were         
preserved from the original book4