John ‘Warwick’ Smith watercolours of the Isle of Man
Watercolourist John ‘Warwick’ Smith was born in Irthington, Cumberland on 26 July 1749. He was one of the most famous watercolourists of his day.
In the 1790s he was commissioned by the 4th Duke of Atholl, John Murray (1755-1830), then Governor-in-Chief of the Isle of Man, to complete a series of watercolour drawings of the Isle of Man. Twenty-six were completed in total, some of the earliest watercolour paintings depicting the Island. When the Duke died in 1830 the Atholls’ connection to the Isle of Man was severed, and the paintings were taken to Blair Castle, the ancestral home of the Atholl family. In the 1950s the entire set was rediscovered and purchased for the Manx Museum and returned to the Isle of Man.
1954-7213
“Port le Mare” (Port St Mary) by John ‘Warwick’ Smith, 1795 (Manx National Heritage, 1954-7213) Click the image to view this object on our iMuseum.
These paintings are a great addition to our digital collections as they are very sensitive to light and displaying them in our galleries for long periods of time can damage and fade them, something which is avoided when making them digitally accessible.
Some of the locations captured by John ‘Warwick’ Smith in his watercolours are: Castletown, Peel, the Calf of Man, Port Erin, Port St Mary, Derby Haven, Tynwald Hill & Douglas.
You can view the whole collection on our iMuseum by clicking here
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