Portrait of Selina Thistlethwayte of Norman Court, full-length in blue and white dress

Portrait of Selina Thistlethwayte of Norman Court from 1778 in the National Galleries of Scotland depicts the wife of Robert Thistlethwayte, whose pendant portrait is in the same collection. The Thistlethwaytes were a Hampshire landed family, and the commission for paired full-length portraits in 1778 reflects Gainsborough's London period when such grand-format commissions from the English gentry were among his standard work. The full-length female portrait with landscape setting was Gainsborough's signature format, and this example demonstrates his mature handling at its most characteristic: the silvery, feathery rendering of the blue and white dress, the atmospheric landscape behind, and the natural grace of the sitter's pose creating an image that serves both its documentary function and its aspiration to beauty.

The full-length format allows Gainsborough to integrate figure and landscape in a flowing composition, the blue and white dress echoing the sky and clouds beyond. His characteristic long, feathery brushstrokes animate both the foliage and the fabric, creating a unified visual rhythm.