A Packet Boat off Dover
Medium
watercolor and gouache with touches of black chalk on gray wove paper, laid down
Dimensions
overall: 19.1 x 27.8 cm (7 1/2 x 10 15/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Paul Mellon Collection
Accession Number
1986.72.18
Art Historical Context
In the turbulent seascape *A Packet Boat off Dover (c. 1836), J.M.W. Turner captures the raw power of nature off England's iconic white cliffs. A British Romantic master renowned for his luminous watercolors and dramatic light effects, Turner depicts a packet boat—a swift mail and passenger vesselbraving choppy Channel waters. Created during the 1830s steamship, this work reflects the era's technological shifts and Turner's lifelong fascination with maritime drama, evoking the sublime tension between human endeavor and uncontrollable seas. Executed on modest gray wove paper (19.1 x 27.8 cm), ...
About the Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner · 1775–1851
Joseph Mallord William Turner, born on 23 April 1775 in London's Covent Garden to barber William Turner and Mary Marshall, emerged as a child prodigy amid personal hardships. His mother suffered mental illness and died in Bethlem Hospital in 1804, while his father supported his early sketches by displaying them in his shop. Around age 10, Turner stayed with his uncle Joseph Mallord William Marshal...