John Constable (1776-1837) was born at East Bergholt, Suffolk, the fourth child of Golding and Ann Constable. In 1792 he began work in the flourishing family business, trading and transporting corn and coal on and around the River Stour. His ambition, however, was to be a painter. He began his professional career as a student at the Royal Academy Schools. Following the fashion for painting mountainous, Romantic scenery, he spent some time in Derbyshire and the Lake District, but it was only on his return to the quieter, less spectacular countryside of his native Suffolk that he developed his personal style. The V&A's collections include hundreds of works by Constable, including paintings, drawings and sketchbooks.