Art Review
The English artist’s paintings strive to portray social hierarchy as both beautiful and natural.
Thomas Gainsborough, “Mr. and Mrs. Andrews” (c. 1750), oil on canvas (© The National Gallery, London; all photos courtesy the Frick Collection)
As Gainsborough: The Fashion of Portraiture begins, visitors are greeted with a style that was already becoming outdated. The “conversation pieces” displayed were seen as unsophisticated by London’s elite during Gainsborough’s time. His training under English painter Francis Hayman is evident in works like “The Gravenor Family” (1754), which reflects a formal rigidity. However, “Mr. and Mrs. Andrews” (1750) showcases Gainsborough’s unique ability to depict landscapes and attire as symbols of ownership and social standing, giving equal focus to both the lush farmland and Frances Andrews’s elegant dress and pink satin shoes. After relocating to Bath in 1759, Gainsborough evolved his technique, engaging with Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck’s style to capture the essence of Georgian self-presentation.
Recently, British portraiture has faced criticism, as noted by curator Aimee Ng during the exhibition’s press preview. These portraits are often seen as outdated depictions of the affluent, who thrived on colonialism and slavery. Acknowledging this, the exhibition also explores the intricate role of fashion in social dynamics. In 18th-century Britain, taste was viewed as a moral guide. Philosopher Anthony Ashley Cooper, Third Earl of Shaftesbury, believed that beauty and virtue were connected, and honing aesthetic judgment was akin to nurturing virtue. During a time when colonial wealth was rapidly growing, critics and patrons grappled with differentiating genuine refinement from mere extravagance. Gainsborough’s career was built on visually embodying this promise of taste transforming luxury into merit.
Left: Thomas Gainsborough, “Sarah Hodges, Later Lady Innes” (c. 1759), oil on canvas (photo Michael Bodycomb); right: Thomas Gainsborough, “Mary, Countess Howe” (1763–64), oil on canvas (© Historic England / Bridgeman Images)
A 1759 portrait of Sarah Hodges captures her holding a rosebud with cascading sheer fabric, presenting her as an emerging debutante. Nearby, “Mary, Countess Howe” (1763–64) is depicted in pink silk, with a lace apron detailed with striking precision, epitomizing fashionable elegance from pearls to heels. These women are portrayed as part of an elite circle, as described by English writer Samuel Johnson, who defines them as “above the vulgar,” where taste is said to refine wealth into virtue. The intricacies of status and youth are reflected in rosy complexions, delicate fabrics, and elegant accessories.
Gainsborough often adapted his commissions to align with evolving trends. For example, “Mrs. Sheridan” (1783) was repainted when her shepherdess style became outdated, and “Mrs. Samuel Moody” (1779) was altered to include her sons and omit a pearl necklace, reshaping her image with a single brushstroke. These changes at the Frick are presented as a narrative of reinvention and personal style.
Left: Thomas Gainsborough, “Mrs. Samuel Moody and Her Sons, Samuel and Thomas” (c. 1779, reworked c. 1784), oil on canvas (© Dulwich Picture Gallery / Bridgeman Images); right: Thomas Gainsborough, “Mrs. Sheridan” (c. 1783, altered 1785–87), oil on canvas
The exhibition is most effective when examining the cracks in the Georgian ideals of taste. A notable comparison features “Mary, Duchess of Montagu” (1768) alongside “Ignatius Sancho” (1768), a former enslaved individual who became a respected composer and intellectual in the Montagu household. Sancho is depicted in gentlemanly attire, yet Gainsborough’s technique falters as Sancho’s complexion blends into the background, subtly highlighting the limitations of fashion as a tool for social change. While fashion can momentarily present Sancho as fashionable, the systemic structures benefiting from his labor persist.
The lasting impression is the effort these paintings make to present social hierarchy as inherently beautiful. The exhibition delights in its attention to detail—light-catching silk, rustling gold, nods to changing social trends. Its most significant achievement is revealing the labor behind taste, maintaining the social fiction that style can transform wealth into virtue. From today’s perspective, this promise appears increasingly tenuous, and the paintings oscillate between fantasy and critique.
Left: Thomas Gainsborough, “Mary, Duchess of Montagu” (c. 1768), oil on canvas (photo courtesy The Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust); right: Thomas Gainsborough, “Ignatius Sancho” (1768), oil on canvas
Gainsborough: The Fashion of Portraiture is on display at the Frick Collection (1 East 70th Street) until May 25, 2026. The exhibition is curated by Aimee Ng.
