John Sell Cotman’s Yorkshire subjects are widely considered to be among the finest watercolors ever painted. In this gorgeously illustrated book David Hill presents the first detailed account of Cotman’s tours of the north of England.



Cotman was twenty-one on his first visit in 1803. The Cholmeley family of Brandsby Hall near York promptly engaged him as drawing master, and he was introduced to a wide circle of Yorkshire patrons. He returned in 1804 and 1805, and in a series of works including the famous Greta Bridge, he achieved a state of perfection in the art of watercolor that has rarely if ever been surpassed. Every major painting, related studies, and the author’s own photographs of the locations in which Cotman worked are included in this beautiful book.