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Sketches made during the Campaign of 1854-55 in the Crimea, Circassia and Constantinople

William Simpson

1854

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

Sketches made during the Campaign of 1854-55 in the Crimea, Circassia and Constantinople is a 1854 watercolor by William Simpson, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: William Simpson
When & what style?: 1854 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting shows a quiet cemetery by the sea at sunset. Rows of simple gravestones and crosses fill the foreground, some leaning or cracked. A lone figure stands near the far right, small against the scene. In the middle distance, a tall ship’s mast juts upward, and the water glows faintly under a low, golden sun. The text at the top names this a sketch from the Crimean War, made while the artist traveled with troops. The sky’s soft light and muted colors feel both real and dreamlike. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like this.

The story of this work

Overview

Watercolour sketches by William Simpson, created during 1854–55, depict the graves of British soldiers on Cathcart’s Hill, the primary burial site for those who died in the Crimean War. The work is mounted within a bound volume of campaign drawings.

Read the full account in the museum source.