The Ports of England (1824-6)
The engraver Thomas Lupton had been employed to produce plates from Turner's designs for a previous project, The Rivers of England. After this project was finished, Lupton planned a sequel, The Ports of England, proposing that he would both make the mezzotint plates and publish the works himself. Lupton commissioned designs from Turner for this series in 1826. Only the first six prints were published in Turner's lifetime. The remaining six made for the series were eventually published in 1856 and the whole series re-issued under the name The Harbours of England. John Ruskin wrote passages to accompany the prints in the re-issue. In the preface he wrote that he considered some of these prints after Turner 'among the very finest that had been executed from his marine subjects'.

A small number of watercolour studies can be found in the Turner Bequest that relate directly to the finished designs for these prints. Study for Sheerness and Compositional, Colour and Underpainting Study for 'Plymouth' are examples. The blustery skies which can be seen in the majority of the Ports of England subjects feature strongly in these colour studies. In them Turner displays as much interest in painting the natural elements, such as rainbows and effects of changing light, as he does in the detail of his subjects. Some of the harbours Turner included in this series were the busiest naval and commercial shipping ports in Britain. He gained a sharp insight into their daily activity from his use of the ports when embarking on continental travels.