The Linley Sisters

Elizabeth and Mary Linley were both talented singers and daughters of Gainsborough’s friend Thomas Linley, a successful music teacher and director of concerts in Bath. They are shown as young women of refinement and sensibility, an attitude emphasised by the natural setting.[1] The musical props establish them in their social identity as talented and beautiful musicians. Elizabeth was a soprano, famous for her performances in oratorio. Mary became an actress, appearing in a comic drama in 1769. However, her father refused to allow her to continue in the theatre, preferring her to pursue a musical career which did not carry the morally dubious associations of the stage.[2] Although it should also be noted that their popular and celebrated performances as singers earned their father considerable sums of money.

[1] Rosenthal, M. (1999) The Art of Thomas Gainsborough. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.

[2] Perry, G. (2007) Spectacular Flirtations: Viewing the Actress in British Art and Theatre 1768-1820. New Haven and London: Yale University Press