. S H O P . W I N D O W . Mrs Graham

May I introduce you to the Honourable Mrs Mary Graham.  She is one of Gainsborough's finest portraits.  It was Mary's looks that caused quite a stir when Gainsborough exhibited the full length portrait of her at the Royal Academy in London. It secured her reputation as an icon of contemporary beauty and this soon helped her to quickly become a prominent figure in the fashionable society of Georgian London.  She attracted many admirers and friendships particularly a fondness from Robert Burns to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire who recalled her 'goodness, her sense, her sweetness'.

I have tried to portray her character in the decorative pieces selected for this weeks Shop Window.  A kindness, a goodness, in the essence and touch of how a piece feels.  A gentleness in the finery and design and the warmth from wood.