View from Upnor towards Sheerness

Joseph Farington

View from Upnor towards Sheerness

1795

Aquatint Engraving

This aquatint engraving, View from Upnor towards Sheerness, 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 scene looks north along the River Medway from Upnor Castle toward its confluence with the Thames and the naval settlement of Sheerness. Small sailing vessels and working boats animate the waterway, while the Kentish coastline stretches across the distance. Farington captures both the natural beauty and maritime activity of this strategically important estuary, an area long associated with England’s naval power and commercial shipping. The print preserves a detailed view of a landscape that played a significant role in British military and maritime history while documenting the rhythms of everyday river life in the late eighteenth century.

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diaries for which he is now best known, making this print significant as both an artistic achievement and a valuable historical document.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