Thomas Gainsborough, Mrs. Thomas Graham, 1777

Pearls, diamonds, feathers, and silk cover her perfectly postured physique. The slight curve of her wrist mirrors the draping of her cascading dress and the plume of her hat. Wispy trees and branches frame her delicate porcelain face. The pink of her crepe skirt brings out the faint blush of her cheeks, giving a warmth to her face accentuated by the sunset. At first glance, Mary Cathcart appears to be the quintessential high-class woman of eighteenth century England, dripping with all of the grandeur that money could buy. Yet the painting tells an entirely different story of Mrs. Graham.

Despite her pristine attire and elite status, Thomas Graham's spouse longs for something more from her seemingly flawless life. The clouds in the background follow the same path as her longing stare, away from the dark forest that holds her into the oppressive shackles of European society. Even the passionate love from her husband, vaguely shown by the rosiness of her skirt, fades into the smokey, ominous countryside behind her.

Though Thomas Gainsborough was no fortuneteller, Mary Cathcart, the subject of the painting, died just a few years later at the young age of 35 after a bout with tuberculosis. The clouds arguably could be the disease creeping upon Mrs. Graham, or they might simulate the black drape that her husband placed over her painting after her demise. Whatever the significance of the countryside, Gainsborough's The Honorable Mrs. Thomas Graham unfolds the dark effects of high society in eighteenth century England.