''Portrait of Mrs Mary Graham'' or ''The Honourable Mrs Graham'' is a 1777 oil on canvas painting by the British artist

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (; 14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists o ...

, produced shortly after Mary's marriage to Thomas Graham, the future Lord Lynedoch on 26 December 1774. It was one of the first works to enter the collection of the

Scottish National Gallery The National (formerly the Scottish National Gallery) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by William Henry Play ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

after its bequest in 1859 by the heirs of Thomas Graham.

Description

One of Gainsborough's finest portraits, this full-length portrait has become an icon of the Scottish National Gallery. It is one of three works the artist completed of Mary Graham. A more conventional half-length portrait, ''The Hon. Mrs. Thomas Graham'', also completed between 1775 and 1777, is believed to be the painting that was initially commissioned. It is now part of the Widener collection in the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The "Housemaid" portrayal of Mary Graham was rejected by her family, hence it was never finished and later sold after Gainsborough's death to the 5th Earl of Carlisle and hung at

Castle Howard Castle Howard is an English country house in Henderskelfe, North Yorkshire, north of York. A private residence, it has been the home of the Earl of Carlisle, Carlisle branch of the House of Howard, Howard family for more than 300 years. Castle ...

before donated to the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

by the family in 1913.

History

The sitter was born The Hon''.'' Mary Cathcart (1 March 1757 – 26 June 1792). She was the daughter of Charles Cathcart, 9th Lord Cathcart and Jean Hamilton, Charles Cathcart had recently served as the British ambassador at the court of

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

to rectify his family's finance. At age 17, Mary married Thomas Graham (later 1st Baron Lynedoch) in a double wedding with her older sister Jane, who married John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl. Her younger sister Louisa was married to Lord Stormont, while her brother William, 1st Earl Cathcart were also painted by Gainsborough. The Hon

It was Mary's looks that caused a stir when Gainsborough exhibited her full-length portrait at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1777. It secured her reputation as an icon of contemporary beauty and helped her to quickly become a prominent figure in the fashionable society of Georgian London. She attracted many admirers and friendships from

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire who recalled ‘her goodness, her sense, her sweetness’. But Mary soon fell ill with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. Throughout her illness, she was nursed attentively by her husband. They first moved to

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, and then, as her health deteriorated further, via revolutionary

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

to the Mediterranean, in search of warmer climates. They reached the sea, but she died on 26 June 1792, near

Hyères Hyères (), Provençal dialect, Provençal Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ieras'' in classical norm, or ''Iero'' in Mistralian norm) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (département), Var Departments of France, department in the Provence-Al ...

, aged just 35. Thomas Graham lived another 50 years and died in 1843, he never remarried. He was so grief-stricken, he could not bring himself to look upon his wife's portrait. It was placed into storage and almost forgotten about, until it was exhibited 65 years later in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

in 1857. Two years later it was bequeathed by his cousin and heir, Robert Graham to the recently opened Scottish National Gallery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Portrait of Mrs Mary Graham 1777 paintings Portraits by Thomas Gainsborough Portraits of women Paintings in National Galleries Scotland Oil on canvas paintings