Mrs Hamilton Nisbet (1756 - 1834)

Mrs Hamilton Nisbet from 1782 in the National Galleries of Scotland is a full-length portrait of a Scottish society woman produced in Gainsborough's London period when his female portraiture had reached its greatest technical mastery. The large scale (233 × 155 cm) and the formal standing pose with landscape setting reflect the conventions of the grand-manner female portrait that had been established in England by van Dyck and continued through Lely, Kneller, and Reynolds. Gainsborough's version of this tradition differs from Reynolds's in its handling of the dress: where Reynolds built up fabric through firm, sculptural brushwork derived from Italian precedent, Gainsborough's semi-transparent dragged strokes create an impression of shimmering silk that seems animated by movement and light rather than recorded as a static surface. The National Galleries of Scotland holds the portrait in its collection of British art alongside other major examples of Georgian portraiture.

The portrait demonstrates Gainsborough's characteristic ability to render feminine beauty with atmospheric softness and psychological sensitivity.