This watercolour was worked up from a partly-coloured pencil drawing in a sketchbook Turner used on a tour of the Lake District in 1797. This large leather bound book, known as the Tweed and Lakes sketchbook, can be seen in a nearby display case.

 

The name 'Joseph Farington' appears on back of this sketch. Farington was an artist whose views of the Lake District inspired Turner's work. In appreciation, Turner asked Farington to choose a study from the sketchbook so that he could paint a watercolour for him as a gift. Derwentwater was the subject Farington chose.