Just after the turn of the century Turner made finished watercolours of the city and colleges of Oxford, for engraving as illustrations for the annual University Calendar or 'Almanack'. They represent the climax of his first phase as an architectural draughtsman. This view of Christ Church and Tom Tower across the meadows at dusk is more atmospheric than these commissioned designs. Its breadth of handling and composition relate to the work of Turner's early friend Thomas Girtin.