The South Kensington Museum, later the Victoria and Albert, opened in 1857. The first catalogue of the museum's collection of watercolours was published only nineteen years later in 1876, by which time the museum had acquired nearly 500 watercolours, today the collection numbers many thousands.
What is a watercolour?
Watercolour paint is made by mixing pigments with a binder, usually gum arabic, and then applying it with water to …
Read article
British watercolours 1750-1900: the landscape genre
The rise of watercolour painting in Britain was closely tied to a growing acceptance in 18th century Britain of 'la…
Read article
British watercolours 1750-1900: developing subjects for landscape painting
From the middle of the 18th century a number of British writers sought to define and categorise human responses to …
Read article
British watercolours 1750-1900: depicting the elements
According to the drawing master, Alexander Cozens, landscape could be codified into three categories: 'Composition'…
Read article
British watercolours 1750-1900: J M W Turner & John Ruskin
The critic John Ruskin wrote of J.M.W. Turner, 'there were two men associated with Turner in early study, who showe…
Read article
British watercolours 1750-1900: depicting trees
Early 18th century topographical artists had conventionally represented trees using squiggles and zigzags. These in…
Read article
British watercolours 1750-1900: depicting the coast
Early British traditions of paintings of the sea were primarily connected with the Navy, and the main focus was not…
Read article
British watercolours 1750-1900: architecture as subject
Architectural topography had its roots in the antiquarian study of buildings of historical interest. A number of ar…
Read article
British watercolours 1750-1900: travels in Europe and the Middle East
In the early 19th century more artists took advantage of the opportunities for foreign travel, exploring new subjec…
Read article
British watercolours 1750-1900: landscape in the 19th century
The rise of landscape painting in the 18th century encouraged the related field of genre painting: the portrayal of…
Read article
British watercolours 1750-1900: historical & literary genre
The 19th century saw a flowering of interest in history, encouraged by the publication in 1814 of the first of many…
Read article
British watercolours 1750-1900: illlustration into narrative
The popularity and success of the watercolour societies attracted many illustrators, such as Charles Green, into th…
Read article
British watercolours 1750-1900: still life & flower painting
Still life, the depiction of inanimate objects such as fruit, vegetables, dead game and household objects, became a…
Read article
Chauncy Hare Townshend
Chauncy Hare Townshend was a friend of Charles Dickens and later his literary executor. He bequeathed to the Museum a large collection of objects including oil paintings, watercolours, drawings, prints, drawings and books.
Portrait miniatures: other types of small portraiture
This section looks at four other small portrait types which competed successfully with the portrait miniature; so-called 'plumbagos', drawn in graphite or ink on vellum; enamels, painted on gold or copper; silhouettes, or as they were called in Britain 'profiles'; and lastly, portraits in watercolour on paper - a quicker and cheaper method than miniature painting.
Portrait miniatures: materials & techniques
The first portrait miniatures were painted by artists trained to illustrate hand-written books. They used similar materials and techniques, painting in watercolour on vellum, a fine animal skin.
Portrait miniatures: from John Hoskins to Samuel Cooper
We do not know who taught John Hoskins miniature painting. But, like Isaac Oliver's son Peter, he used real silver and gold to create jewels, a technique invented by Hilliard.
A souvenir from Guangzhou
Very few export paintings of this type remain in the collections in Guangzhou; consequently they are regarded with great interest by Chinese scholars as an invaluable documentation of the history, activities and socio-cultural exchanges that took place around the Pearl River Delta during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Donate to the Stained Glass Appeal
We are currently working on an exciting project to conserve and re-install the original stained glass on the landings of the Manfred and Lydia Gorvy Lecture Theatre. We need your help to raise £75,000 to bring these historical features back to their former glory for us all to enjoy.
Give nowShop online
Blank Watercolour Postcard Book
Postcard book containing 16 blank watercolour cards to paint/design yourself
Buy nowEvent - Celebrating British Design
Sun 27 May 2012 11:00
SPECIAL EVENT: Join leading artists, including V&A ceramicist in residence Louisa Taylor and comic book artist Brian Williamson for a day of workshops celebrating British Design.
More details
