Portrait of the Artist with his Wife and Daughter
- Artist: Thomas Gainsborough
- Date: about 1748
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the Portrait of the Artist with his Wife and Daughter by Thomas Gainsborough. Painted in about 1748, it's the only known portrait of Gainsborough with his family. The young girl holding a posy of flowers is likely Mary, their short-lived first daughter.
In this painting, you see Gainsborough sitting cross-legged, looking quite relaxed and elegant. He's undone one button on his waistcoat to show off his refined sense of style. He holds what appears to be a piece of paper, which may have represented a drawing. The paint here has become transparent with age, just like the little girl's.
Living in London at the time, Gainsborough had some difficulties with the landscape and proportions of the figures. You can see that quite a few changes were made during painting, particularly to his wife Margaret's pose and dress. Her left hand remains unfinished, which is one of the many unresolved parts of this composition.
Gainsborough was just 21 years old when he painted this portrait. His family was living in London at the time, but they later returned to Sudbury in Suffolk after Mary's death in 1748. This painting gives us a glimpse into Gainsborough's life and his relationship with his wife Margaret.
See it in person
Portrait of the Artist with his Wife and Daughter hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
