John Constable

Shipping in the Thames or Medway. Verso: Sketch of Shipping

1803

Image released under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported)

License this image

On loan

Mitsubishi Ichigokan (Tokyo, Japan): Constable and England: A History of His Affections

Artist: John Constable 1776–1837
Medium: Graphite and watercolour on paper. Verso: graphite on paper
Dimensions: Support: 98 × 167 mm
support, secondary: 183 × 270 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Purchased as part of the Oppé Collection with assistance from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund 1996
Reference: T08121

Display caption

These drawings were made in the late spring of 1803, when Constable spent nearly a month on board the 'Coutts'. The ship was sailing to China, and Constable joined it between London and Deal. He is said to have made as many as 130 drawings on the voyage, but fewer than fifty are known today. They are mostly rapid sketches of the shipping he saw on the Thames, the Medway and along the coast. When in 1837 Constable's son, Charles Golding Constable (1821-1879), heard of his father's death, he wrote to express his concern about the fate of these sketches. Being a sailor, Charles Golding took an especial interest in them.

Gallery label, September 2004

Does this text contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? We would like to hear from you.