J.M.W. Turner: Sketchbooks, Drawings and Watercolours

Finberg later annotated his 1909 Inventory entry (‘Views from Channel. – “Hythe, Folkestone, Dover, South Foreland,” &c.’): ‘Perhaps this is on the return journey’.1 For the possible relationship between the views around Dover in this sketchbook and the autumn 1825 Continental subjects taking up the rest of it, see under folio 1 recto (D19401).

With the page turned vertically, there are eight bands of sketches running down from the top (outer) edge. Framed by pencil lines at the top right is a thumbnail view of a large sailing ship seen from astern, with cliffs in the distance below a cloudy or rainy sky. Below is a variant with a note of ‘Blu[e] Sea’ and to its left, two studies of broad-beamed ships (or perhaps the same twice) under sail, again seen from the rear with cliffs beyond; they are likely warships, like those on folio 1 verso (D19402).

Five coastal profiles follow. The first, probably labelled ‘Dim’ for Dymchurch, ‘Hythe’ and ‘Folk[e]stone’, ranges about ten miles along the Kent coast, apparently seen from east of Folkestone, towards Dover (about seven miles further east again). The second looks along the stretch east of Folkestone, with slight indications of ‘Dover’ Castle on the right. Thirdly, the castle is now on the left, with cliffs undulating towards the South Foreland about two and a half miles to the east-north-east. The left-hand half of the fourth strip shows the ‘South Foreland’ with what seems to be a note of St Margaret’s at Cliffe, the village just to its north-east, although the note of ‘S^t M[...]’ comes first. The less clearly defined profile to the right is also labelled, with a word or two beginning with ‘R’, and the final sketch, although still carefully outlined, lacks obvious landmarks. The sequence suggesting a voyage from west to east around the south side of Kent, working down the page.