Joseph Mallord William Turner

The same inscription, which probably says ‘Tobermory’, appears on this page five times, although the Mull village is not obvious in any of the sketches. Several houses seem to be depicted in the bottom sketch just beneath the inscription, and this could possibly be a view of Tobermory Bay from just south-east of Calve Island, although the island in this sketch looks too hilly. The present author is sceptical about David Wallace-Hadrill and Janet Carolan’s suggestion that this could be a view from the shore of Ardnamurchan looking towards the headland called Maclean’s Nose.1 With the sun straight ahead, low in the sky and reflected in the water, this must either be a view east in early morning, or west in the evening. The other two sketches show two coastlines, suggesting the Sound of Mull, although the exact locations have not been identified.

For more information about Turner’s visit to Mull see folio 1 verso (D26749).