| The Linley Sisters | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Thomas Gainsborough |
| Year | 1772 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, portrait painting |
| Dimensions | 199 cm× 153.5 cm(78 in× 60.4 in) |
| Location | Dulwich Picture Gallery, London |
The Linley Sisters is a 1772 portrait painting by the British artist Thomas Gainsborough. [1] It depicts the singers Elizabeth Ann Linley and her younger sister Mary Linley. Gainsborough was at the time a Bath-based painter focusing on Society portraits. The sisters were part of the musical Linley Family based in the city, both daughters of Thomas Linley the elder. Elizabeth famously eloped with the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan.
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The painting was displayed at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition of 1772 at Pall Mall along with another Gainsborough work Portrait of Sir William Pulteney . [2] In 1785 it was retouched by Gainsborough at the request of the Linley family to make the costumes of the style-concious sisters reflect the current fashion. In 1835 it was donated by their brother William Linley to the Dulwich Picture Gallery and remains in the collection there. [3]
