Turner's supreme achievement in picturing Britain was his series of Picturesque Views in England and Wales, published as engravings 1827-38. This was n epic survey of the nation's scenery, people and hitory in the years following the Napoleonic Wars.

It included numerous coastal views like this of Aldeburgh, Suffolk. A brilliant sunrise and boatmen repairing a mast proclaim regeneration and peace, while the Martello tower on the right (at Slaughden nearby) is a reminder of the recent war. Aldeburgh's postwar development as a resort was alleviating the hardship described in George Crabbe's poem The Borough 1810.