Langley Wharf

Joseph Farington

Langley Wharf

1795

Aquatint Engraving

This aquatint engraving, Langley Wharf, was drawn by Joseph Farington and engraved by Joseph Constantine Stadler for An History of the River Thames, published by John and Josiah Boydell in 1795. The print depicts a quiet riverside landing surrounded by the pastoral landscape of Hertfordshire, where commercial activity and rural scenery coexist along an important inland waterway. Boats and working vessels animate the scene, while the gently sloping banks and scattered buildings convey the character of England’s transportation network during a period of rapid economic expansion. Farington’s careful topographical rendering captures the relationship between commerce and landscape, preserving a view of a site that would later become an important hub for the movement of goods between the Midlands and London through the canal system.

Joseph Farington (1747–1821) was a prominent English landscape painter, diarist, and member of the Royal Academy, while Joseph Constantine Stadler (1747–1822) was a German-born engraver renowned for his mastery of aquatint. Their collaboration formed part of An History of the River Thames, a lavishly illustrated publication featuring seventy-six hand-colored plates that traced the river's course from its rural source to the heart of London. Today, the work is regarded as one of the most important visual records of Georgian England, documenting its landscapes, architecture, transportation networks, and river life. Farington's meticulous observations not only produced some of the finest topographical images of the period but also informed the extensive diaries for which he is now best known, making this print significant as both an artistic achievement and a valuable historical document.

Dimensions: H 14 1/4 " x 18" W (with matting)

Condition: Some foxing consistent with age