Joseph Mallord William Turner

Made with the page turned vertically, this study of two similar women (or the same figure in successive attitudes) with elaborate headgear, calf-length skirts and perhaps aprons, may show fishwives or other tradeswomen, observed at Portsmouth, perhaps among the crowd shown on folio 23 verso (D20768; Turner Bequest CCXXVII 23) or on the Isle of Wight (see under folio 2 recto; D20735).

As discussed in the technical notes in the sketchbook’s introduction, this leaf’s blank recto does not have a Tate ‘D’ accession number. It was prepared with a grey wash, and is inscribed by John Ruskin in red ink ‘30’ and stamped in black ‘CCXXVII – 30’ at the bottom right.

Technical notes:

There is some watercolour offsetting from the grey ground used on folio 32 recto opposite (the verso of which is D20781; Turner Bequest CCXXVII 31).