Open full image Pin

Deserted Tin-Mine, Cornwall. [ 1938 ]

Hardie

1938

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Early Modern

Dominant colour

Deserted Tin-Mine, Cornwall. [ 1938 ] is a 1938 watercolor by Hardie, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Hardie
When & what style?: 1938
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This watercolor shows an empty, windswept landscape with a tall, crumbling stone tower and a smaller ruined building nearby. A few cows graze on patchy green grass, and a winding dirt path cuts through the scene. The sky is pale, blending into distant hills, and the whole scene feels quiet and worn. The artist focused on the stark shapes of the ruins, leaving most of the background faint and blurry. This makes the old mine buildings stand out sharply against the soft hills. Look up Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like this.

The story of this work

Overview

The watercolour *Deserted Tin-Mine, Cornwall* (1938) by Hardie depicts a disused engine house and another ruined structure situated on a moorland grazed by cattle. Executed as part of the 'Recording Britain' project, the work was created to document Britain’s changing landscape during the early 1940s, a period marked by wartime concerns and fears of cultural loss. Funded by the Pilgrim Trust and overseen by Sir Kenneth Clark, the initiative commissioned artists to capture scenes of national identity, including rural industries and abandoned sites. The painting reflects broader anxieties about…

Read the full account in the museum source.