Joseph Mallord William Turner

Views of the Firth of Forth From the River

1831

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment
Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of
Loch Long Sketchbook
Medium
Graphite on paper
Dimensions
Support: 101 × 158 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D26664
Turner Bequest CCLXXI 23 a

Catalogue entry

David Wallace-Hadrill and Janet Carolan have suggested that the middle of the three sketches of shorelines and shipping may show Clackmannan Pow, where the Black Devon river joins the River Forth.1 Wallace-Hadrill has also suggested that the bottom sketch may be of Bo’ness, which is also drawn on folio 24 (D26665). The top sketch depicts a small harbour, with a quay and boats moored alongside or attached to buoys nearby. This may be Grangemouth, situated on the south bank between Bo’ness and Clackmannan. Another option is Dunmore, which has a pier of this shape, though it is a much less significant harbour. There is also a thumbnail sketch at the top centre of the page of distant hills. These have not been identified.
For more information on Turner’s trip along the Firth of Forth, see the inside back cover of this sketchbook (D41132).

Thomas Ardill
October 2009

1
Dr David Wallace-Hadrill and Janet Carolan, ‘Turner’s Sketches North of Stirling’, Turner Studies: His Art and Epoch 1775–1851, Summer 1990 vol.10 no.1, p.15.

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