| Mary Gainsborough | |
| Birth Date: | 31 January 1750 |
| Birth Place: | Sudbury, Suffolk |
| Other Names: | Molly, Mrs. Johann Christian Fischer |
| Father: | Thomas Gainsborough |
| Mother: | Margaret Burr |
| Relatives: | Margaret Gainsborough (sister) |
Mary Fischer (; 31 January 1750 – 2 July 1826) was the eldest and first-born daughter of painter Thomas Gainsborough and his wife; Margaret Burr. She suffered from a Mental disorder, and was prone to fits of mental aberrations.[1]
Mary was born on 31 January 1750,[2] in Sudbury, Suffolk. She was baptized on 3 February 1760.[3] Her father, Thomas Gainsborough was a painter. On the other hand, her mother, Margaret Burr was the illegitimate daughter of Henry Scudamore, 3rd Duke of Beaufort.[4]
In 1752, when Mary was two, her family moved to Ipswich, England. Although, her father's commissions for portraits did increase,[5] they moved again in 1759, heading for Bath, Somerset. Upon arrival, the family settled in The Circus.[6]
Mary was wed in February 1780 to Johann Christian Fischer, the two met through her father and formed a bond over time. The marriage lasted 8 months, before Mary came to realization, he had been flirting with her younger sister behind her back during their relationship together.[7]
Eventually, Mary and her sister returned back to her parents' home. For the remainder of their lives, the two women stayed and lived together until their father's death on 2 August 1788 and their mother's on 17 December 1798.[8] In 1820, Mary's sister died.[9] A decade later, Mary died on 2 July 1826 at the age of 76.[10]