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Upton-on-Severn

Raymond Teague Cowern

1940

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Early Modern Cityscape Street

Dominant colour

Upton-on-Severn is a 1940 watercolor by Raymond Teague Cowern, depicting Street, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Raymond Teague Cowern
When & what style?: 1940
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This sketch shows a quiet street lined with old buildings. The houses have slanted roofs, chimneys, and small windows with shutters. A horse-drawn cart sits in the middle of the road, and a few people walk nearby. The colors are muted—mostly browns, tans, and soft blues—with quick, loose brushstrokes. The artist signed it "Upton-on-Severn" in the corner, hinting at a real place. The sketch feels like a snapshot of daily life, not polished but quick and alive. Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like this.

The story of this work

Overview

This watercolour by Raymond Teague Cowern depicts Upton-on-Severn as part of the *Recording Britain* project, a wartime initiative to document British landscapes and settlements threatened by conflict or modernization. Created in 1940 under a scheme organized by the Ministry of Labour and National Service and funded by the Pilgrim Trust, the work reflects concerns about preserving a sense of national identity amid potential destruction and social change. The collection, overseen by Sir Kenneth Clark, included contributions from notable watercolourists and aimed to support artists while…

Read the full account in the museum source.