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Porter Valley, No.2

Thomas Seddon

1941

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Early Modern Landscape

Dominant colour

Porter Valley, No.2 is a 1941 watercolor by Thomas Seddon, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Thomas Seddon
When & what style?: 1941
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This sketch shows a quiet landscape with soft, watery colors. A field stretches toward distant hills, and a small stream cuts through the bottom. A few trees and bushes dot the scene, and a lone boat rests near the water’s edge. The brushstrokes are loose, almost sketchy, like the artist worked fast. The light is gentle, washing everything in pale blues and greens. The boat’s shape stands out as the only clear detail in an otherwise hazy view. Next, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like this.

The story of this work

Overview

A watercolour by Seddon from 1941, signed and dated, depicting a distant expanse of fields and hills visible from a tree-covered promontory. The work was created as part of the "Recording Britain" project, a wartime initiative funded by the Pilgrim Trust and directed by Sir Kenneth Clark to document the British landscape amid concerns over bomb damage, invasion, and landscape changes. The scheme commissioned artists to capture scenes of national identity, focusing on English locations such as rural landscapes, villages, and historic sites. Over 1,500 works were produced by 97 artists between…

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

Thomas Seddon

For the New Zealand politician see Tom Seddon Thomas Seddon (28 August 1821 in London – 23 November 1856 in Cairo) was an English landscape painter associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who painted colourful and…

See the richer artist page