Outstandingly beautiful, extraordinarily sweet and kind, tragically consumptive, the Hon. Mrs Graham was painted by Thomas Gainsborough in a portrait of such vividness and charm that it has become famous throughout the world. In 1859, the painting was given to the National Gallery of Scotland on condition that it never left Edinburgh. This book, the first to be published on the subject, explores the social and historical context of the painting and examines its iconic status, culminating in the painting being used by a lingerie company in America in a major advertising campaign in the 1950s.