Newark Abbey

summer 1805

Summer 1805: along the Thames

In the summer of 1805 he systematically sketched places along much of the Thames, from Oxford to the Thames Estuary; these intense months of observation so inspired him that for the next five or six years he presented many river-themed paintings in each of his annual gallery shows, based on his sketchbooks.

1806–1819

Work on the “Liber Studiorum”

For nearly twelve years he worked on about 70 mezzotints — the “Book of Studies”, inspired by Claude’s Liber Veritatis and meant as a manifesto of British landscape art; commercially it failed because of poor handling of sales and distribution, but it did elevate the prestige of landscape painting.

1807–1811

A floating studio at Hammersmith

Inspired by the Thames, he rented houses on or very near the river: in Isleworth (1804–1806) and in Hammersmith (1807–1811), where he converted a boat into a floating studio; fishing and boating were two of his favourite activities.

1808–1824

Summers at Walter Fawkes’s Farnley Hall

From 1808 to 1824 he stayed many summers at Farnley Hall near Otley in Yorkshire with its owner Walter Fawkes, becoming almost part of the family, with a room assigned for his exclusive use.