Portrait of the Artist's Daughters 

Thomas Gainsborough painted his daughters in oil on canvas in the late 18th century. The daughters are depicted with the trappings of art, so let’s consider how this image creates meaning. The period in which it was painted was one in which new institutions were being built for the purpose of creating and exhibiting art. Academies of art offered a space for men to train as professional artists, and art exhibitions became a popular form of public entertainment. It’s interesting, then, to see the daughters of an artist in such close proximity to both the tools of art making and a classical sculpture. The image suggests an intimacy with art that was not readily available to women at the time. To better understand this painting, we might look to archival documents that tell us more about the role of women in the 18th century art world. In doing so, we can better understand how art is contingent on its social and institutional context.