J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours

Turner Bequest CCIII E–H

This selection of four small pencil sketches of shipping are thought to be preparatory works for the watercolour design The Mouth of the River Humber (Tate D18151; Turner Bequest CCVIII R) produced by Turner in around 1824 or 1825 for the Rivers of England mezzotint engraving series (D18134–D18141, D18144–D18149, D18151, D18155–D18156; Turner Bequest CCVIII A–H, K, L–R, V, W). Shipping became a more concentrated aspect of Turner’s work during the 1820s because of both the Rivers and Ports of England series and also as a result of concurrent engraving projects namely the Marine Views and Southern Coast series’.