1727-1788. English landscape and portrait
painter. He was born in Sudbury, Suffolk; in
1760 he settled in Bath and painted society
portraits. In 1774 he went to London and
became one of the original members of the
Royal Academy. He was one of the first
British artists to follow the Dutch in
painting realistic landscapes rather than
imaginative Italianate scenery. Gainsborough
began to paint while still at school and in
1741 went to London, where he learnt etching
and studied at the Academy of Arts, but
remained largely self-taught. His portraits
of Sir Charles Holte and the actor Garrick
belong to this period. His sitters included
the royal family, the Welsh actress Mrs
Siddons, the lexicographer Dr Johnson, the
politician Edmund Burke, and the dramatist
Richard Sheridan.