Hedging and Ditching

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.

1811

Builds Sandycombe Lodge in Twickenham

He bought a plot of land in Twickenham and built a house he named Sandycombe Lodge.

1811

First public lecture at the Academy

Three years after being elected Professor of Perspective he gave his first public lecture at the Royal Academy Schools, presenting ideas on subjects well beyond perspective, including the role of poetry in painting; he was a poor lecturer and the audience had trouble understanding him, but students valued his advice in studio classes.

1811

Birth of Georgiana, Sarah Danby’s daughter

Georgiana, the second of Sarah Danby’s two older daughters, was born in 1811; like Evelina, she is generally believed to have been Turner’s daughter.