John Constable

Departing from the scenery of his native Suffolk, Constable painted this coastal view of Weymouth Bay in Dorset during his honeymoon in the small village of Osmington Mills in 1816. The remarkable panoramic perspective and striking topographical accuracy suggest that he may have painted this canvas on site, from the hills overlooking the bay. Though Constable never returned to Osmington, the locale resurfaced both in later paintings based on the sketches he made during this visit, and in his fond memories: Constable wrote to his wife in 1823, “The distant Dorsetshire hills made me long much to be at dear old Osmington, the remembrance of which must always be precious to you and me.”