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Drawing in Britain, 1700–1900: New Additions to the Collection

Past Exhibition

April 2 – August 6, 2023
West Building, Ground Floor

Selected entirely from the National Gallery’s permanent collection, this exhibition of approximately 80 recently acquired drawings and watercolors provides an overview of two centuries of British art. Works on view reveal European influences on British art starting in the 1700s. They trace the development of watercolor as a national specialty and introduce the varied approaches that emerged during the Victorian era.

Drawing in Britain not only includes significant examples of the landscapes that are traditionally associated with British art, but it also highlights portraits, history scenes, and nude studies. Works by British women provide glimpses into the lives and work of several fascinating yet little-known artists.

Explore Selected Works

Drawing in Britain, 1700–1900: A Decade of Acquisitions

Ezekiel Barton, A Cliff Overhung with Trees, early 19th century, watercolor over graphite on wove paper, Purchased as the Gift of Alexander M. and Judith W. Laughlin, 2022.66.1
Drawing in Britain, 1700–1900: A Decade of Acquisitions

Thomas Gainsborough, A Rocky Wooded Landscape with a Figure by a Stream, 1781, black and gray wash with pen and black ink on tan laid paper, Gift of Donald Stone, 2022.40.56
Drawing in Britain, 1700–1900: A Decade of Acquisitions

Henry Fuseli, Satan Defying the Powers of Heaven, late 1790s, graphite, black chalk, and brown and gray wash on laid paper, Purchased as the Gift of Andrea Woodner, 2015.10.1.a
Drawing in Britain, 1700–1900: A Decade of Acquisitions

William Mulready, Study of a Male Nude, c. 1852, pen and black ink and watercolor with white gouache over graphite on wove paper, Purchased as the Gift of Dian Woodner, 2019.87.1
Drawing in Britain, 1700–1900: A Decade of Acquisitions

Edith Martineau, Myrrhine, 1873, watercolor with gouache and scratching out on wove paper, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 2018.87.1
Drawing in Britain, 1700–1900: A Decade of Acquisitions

William James Müller, Eel Bucks at Goring, c. 1843, watercolor on wove paper, Purchased as the Gift of Alexander M. and Judith W. Laughlin, 2018.86.1
Drawing in Britain, 1700–1900: A Decade of Acquisitions

William Callow, A Gondola on the Grand Canal, Venice, 1866, watercolor over graphite with gouache on wove paper, laid down, Purchased as the Gift of Dian Woodner, 2017.33.1
Drawing in Britain, 1700–1900: A Decade of Acquisitions

Daniel Gardner, The Yorke Family, c. 1775, gouache, pastel paste, and pastel with graphite and possibly black chalk on prepared paper mounted to canvas (on a wooden stretcher), Patrons' Permanent Fund, 2019.142.1
Drawing in Britain, 1700–1900: A Decade of Acquisitions

John Hoppner, A Young Boy Seated Beneath a Tree, c. 1790s/1810, red and black chalk with brush and grey and black ink, Gift of Funds from the Krugman Family Foundation, 2022.78.1
Drawing in Britain, 1700–1900: A Decade of Acquisitions

Sir Edwin Landseer, Contending Group after Nature [A Lion Fighting a Tiger and a Leopard], 1822, pen and black and brown ink with gray and brown wash over graphite on laid paper, mounted, Gift of Connie Simmons and James D. Krugman, 2021.27.1

Organization
Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington

The exhibition is curated by Stacey Sell, associate curator of old master drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Passes
Admission is always free and passes are not required

Banner detail: Ezekiel Barton, A Cliff Overhung with Trees, early 19th century, watercolor over graphite on wove paper, Purchased as the Gift of Alexander M. and Judith W. Laughlin, 2022.66.1