Miss Montagu

Sophia Montagu, the only daughter of English Baronet John Montagu, poses in a chic costume of grey satin, gold fringe, and strings of pearls. The loose brushstrokes of the shimmering attire contrast with the precision Thomas Gainsborough used to paint her face. This formula was popular with British nobility, and it ensured a steady stream of aristocratic clients at the artist’s studio in the resort town of Bath. Portraitists in America learned how to give dignity and elegance to their sitters by studying the works of Gainsborough and his British contemporaries.

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