Turner's Harbours of England - plates

This volume of works on paper consists of twelve mezzotints created by Thomas Goff Lupton (1791 – 1873) after drawings by Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 – 1851), an artist known for his Romantic landscapes and focus on maritime subjects. The mezzotints depict twelve English harbours and showcase Turner's imaginative representation of landscapes, turbulent seas, and local activities. Of significance to Te Papa's collection is Turner's influence on nineteenth-century European landscape painting and the early landscape traditions of New Zealand, which in turn shaped perceptions of national identity for a newly formed nation. Thomas Goff Lupton, the engraver and a member of the Royal Academy, was known for his advancements in mezzotint engraving, particularly his innovation of steel plates which increased efficiencies in print production in the Industrial age.

The volume, titled Turner's Harbours of England - Plates, is based on an 1856 publication called The Harbours of England by Turner and Ruskin, featuring mezzotints of Turner's original watercolours. The project was initially conceived as The Ports of England a volume of twenty-five Turner drawings for serial publication. The project was stalled and later resumed by Lupton after Turner’s death under a new title, with twelve of Turner's drawings of harbours accompanied by text from John Ruskin, a prominent art critic and Turner enthusiast