Why did Thomas Gainsborough stop exhibiting at the Royal Academy?

In 1784, Thomas Gainsborough ceased exhibiting his work at the Royal Academy of Arts following a dispute regarding the placement of his paintings.1

The conflict arose because the Academy insisted on hanging his portrait, Three Eldest Princesses, at the standard height from the floor. Gainsborough argued that this position was too high, preventing viewers from properly appreciating the delicate pencilling and lightness of touch characteristic of his style. In protest of this decision, he withdrew the pictures he had intended for the exhibition and never displayed his work at the Academy again.1