The Painter's Daughters Chasing a Butterfly  The Painter's Daughters Chasing a Butterfly is a painting by Thomas Gainsborough. It was created sometime in 1756 and is now in the collection of the National Gallery in London. The painting depicts Mary (1750–1826) and Margaret (1752–1820) Gainsborough engaging in the titular activity. The younger daughter reaching to grab the butterfly represents the fragility of life while the elder daughter's apprehensive facial expression reveals her edging towards maturity. "The Painter's Daughters Chasing a Butterfly" proved to be a pivotal moment in Gainsborough's artistry as Jones writes that "[it] was one of the first works in which Gainsborough developed from his early, Dutch-realist manner to the exuberant scale of his later portraits".