Born on May 14, 1727, Thomas Gainsborough grew up in Sudbury, Suffolk and later became one of the greatest English portrait and landscape painters of the 18th century. Gainsborough discovered his love for painting at the age of ten, and practiced constantly while living in what is now known as “Gainsborough’s House”, a popular museum dedicated to the life and works of Thomas. After discovering his great talent, Thomas’ father let him leave home in 1740 (at the age of thirteen) to study in London under Hubert Gravelot.
After marrying a woman named Margaret Burr, Gainsborough temporarily moved back to Sudbury in 1748 to practice his portraits. Margaret and Thomas later had two daughters and decided to move into a bigger house in Ipswich in 1752, but they later settled more permanently in Bath in 1759. This is where Gainsborough finally gained traction and sold various commissions while studying the works of van Dyck.
The Duke and Duchess of Cumberland (1785) 
King George III (1781)
Soon enough, Gainsborough discovered that displaying his works in exhibitions would help him gain even more attention. He eventually began sending paintings to the Royal Academy every year, and was actually invited to attend the exhibit as a founding member in 1769. Although he had to temporarily stop displaying his paintings while his family moved to London in 1774, he finally made it big in 1777, where he painted and displayed portraits of celebrities like the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland.
Throughout the later years of his life, he resorted to painting simple landscapes, as this was his true passion. On August 2, 1788, Gainsborough died of cancer at the age of 61. In The Story of Art, Gombrich states that compared to his rival at the time, Joshua Reynolds, who emphasized the “importance of tradition,” Gainsborough was “a self-made man,” who decided to make his own rules (362). Ultimately, the mindset that Gainsborough had throughout his life is what led to his great success as a painter.
Sources: Gombrich, Ernst Hans. The Story of Art. Phaidon Press, 2016. “Thomas Gainsborough.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 10 Sept. 2020, www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Gainsborough. “Thomas Gainsborough.” Thomas Gainsborough - The Complete Works, www.thomas-gainsborough.org/. Images: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Gainsborough Mr and Mrs Andrews by Thomas Gainsborough https://www.rct.uk/collection/400675/henry-duke-of-cumberland-with-anne-duchess-of-cumberland-and-lady-elizabeth https://www.wikiart.org/en/thomas-gainsborough/king-george-iii-1781 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Boy
Jordan,
Great work on Gainsborough! Solid research and personal insights combined with good written skills. Your attention to the details of his career is commendable. Keep it up!
Jeff