Joseph Mallord William Turner

Turned vertically, there are two slight studies of sailing boats here, one of which is dressed with bunting;1 see also folios 16 verso, 23 verso, 25 verso, 27 verso and 31 recto and verso (D35714, D35727, D35731, D35735, D35743, D35744). Like the other rapid sketches in this book, this relates to the arrival of Louis-Philippe, King of the French, at Portsmouth Harbour on 8 October 1844, as discussed in the Introductions to the sketchbook and the overall section.

Ian Warrell has noted the ‘flags dressing the rigging of the larger French and British vessels. The yards of many of these were also manned’,2 as shown in the detailed 1846 painting Débarquement de Louis-Philippe à Portsmouth, le 8 octobre 1844 by Eugène Isabey (1803–1886; Château de Versailles).