Why did Thomas Gainsborough paint portraits even though he preferred landscapes?

Although Thomas Gainsborough considered landscape painting to be his first love, he painted portraits primarily for economic reasons. Throughout his career, he recognized that he needed to produce portraiture to secure an adequate living.1

Despite this professional necessity, Gainsborough remained a dedicated landscape artist, often integrating his preferred subject matter into his portrait work. For example, he frequently placed his sitters within natural settings, and in his later years, he developed "fancy pictures"—idealized portraits of country children and peasants—which allowed him to blend his portraiture skills with his deep-seated passion for the English countryside.23