Book –
Cormack M. , 1991, The Paintings of Thomas Gainsborough, University of Cambridge Press

Website –
Andrew Graham-Dixon, (23-11-2003), Andrew Graham-Dixon Archive, Available from: http://www.andrewgrahamdixon.com/archive/itp-188-mary-countess-howe-by-thomas-gainsborough.html

Article –
Carpenter, L. (2008), Everyday Fashion in 18th Century England, The Telegraph, 1st March 2008

I chose to look at the book ‘The Paintings of Thomas Gainsborough’ by Malcolm Cormack from the library as my design work is often influenced by the work of English 18th century painters, with Gainsborough being one of the most successful artists working in the 1700s.
He painted portraits of the most wealthy and important figures in Britain, with his work being characterised by a light pastel colour palette and feathery brushstrokes.
I am particularly inspired by Gainsborough’s work due to its high levels of detail and realism and the technique he uses to paint different textures, especially fabric and garments which he executes in such a way that the viewer can easily differentiate between the types and weights of fabric by revealing the sitters form and reflecting light. As a result of his incredible observation, Gainsborough’s portrait work now stands to accurately reveal to the 21st century viewer exactly what garments were at the height of 18th century British fashion.
I then went on to further research online one of Gainsborough’s most well-known portraits and most important commissions- that of Mary Countess Howe. This painting is one of the best examples of his work to describe the sitter’s highly fashionable attire due to the immense care and time Gainsborough has taken to paint every detail of her pink silk dress which is stretched over a corset on her upper body and perfectly sets off her pale complexion- a symbol of wealth and status in the 18th century.
My research was concluded by reading an article by the Telegraph which explored everyday working class fashion in the 18th century- an interesting contrast to the lavish garments depicted in Gainsborough’s paintings.