Rapid changes in social and material status can create a social group called the nouveau riche—people who suddenly gain wealth and influence but lack the refinement that comes with generations of elevated social position. Even though the term itself is from the 20th century, the phenomenon has existed for much longer. In France, such a class appeared with the enrichment of the bourgeoisie throughout the 1800s; in contemporary society, such classes have arisen with digital revolutions (in the U.S. and India) or with political and social changes (in China, Russia, and Eastern Europe).

In the England of the late 1700s, the Industrial Revolution and colonial expansion created such a class as well. And this is what Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) portrayed in his famous, early canvas titled Mr. and Mrs. Andrews. […] Gainsborough is the subject of a new exhibition in the recently refurbished Frick museum. Titled Gainsborough: The Fashion of Portraiture, the exhibition brings together various well-known examples of the artist’s bread-and-butter activity of portraying the rich and famous, looking their best in sophisticated clothing. Because his father was a trader in luxury fabrics, the artist was very attuned to the subtleties of the silks, laces, and muslins gracing his illustrious models.

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