J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours

This page includes two separate drawings. The first, executed in the upper portion, is a swiftly executed sketch of two figures in contemporary French dress. The female figure, on the left, wears a skirt, shawl and a large hat with a wide brim that obscures her face. On the right, her male companion wears trousers, a shirt with voluminous sleeves, and a pointed cap or hat. The design is indicative of Turner’s longstanding interest in local people and everyday life. One commentator speculates that the drawing might have been executed in Frejus,1 but it is unclear what informed this suggestion.

At the bottom of the page, Turner has sketched out a rough map of France’s south-eastern coastline, inverted in relation to the principal sketch above. The position of several specific locations has been noted, including ‘Frejus’ [sic] and ‘Cannes’. The inscriptions on the opposite side appear to indicate several inland towns, including ‘Brig[noles]’ and ‘[Le] Luc’. A small part of the map, incorporating ‘Nice’ has extended onto the inside of the front cover opposite (D41043). For an overview of Turner’s itinerary, see the Introduction.

Technical notes:

A strip of greenish intermittent staining at the outer edge is owing to contact with the green oil paper flap folded back from the front cover over the paste-down opposite (D41043).