Joseph Mallord William Turner

Drawn with the sketchbook inverted, and continued on folio 20 (D10366), this drawing of Hythe served as the basis for the watercolour (Guildhall Art Gallery, London)1 engraved by George Cooke in 1824 for Picturesque Views on the Southern Coast of England. The double-spread study in this sketchbook is developed from a smaller sketch, hitherto unrecognised but probably Turner’s first impression of the site, in the Hastings to Margate sketchbook (Tate D10497; Turner Bequest CXL 45a). The view is from the Ashford road eastwards towards the town and the sea. Most of the substance of the watercolour and print are set out in D10366. The trees seen in this portion were reduced to two to frame the composition on the right. However, a splash of yellow on this leaf probably occurred as he referred to the drawing while working on the watercolour.

There is a smaller, condensed version of this subject at upper right, drawn with the sketchbook turned to upright format. Hythe is marked on the sketch map of the South Coast inside the back cover (D40834).