- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802) after John Henderson (1764-1843)
- Title
-
- Dartford High Street
- Date
- 1795 - 1796
- Medium and Support
- Graphite and pen and ink on wove paper (watermark: J WHATMAN)
- Dimensions
- 42.4 × 54.9 cm, 16 ⅝ × 21 ⅝ in
- Object Type
- Outline Drawing; Work after an Amateur Artist
- Subject Terms
- Dover and Kent; Street Scene
-
- Collection
- Versions
-
Dartford High Street
(TG0844)
- Catalogue Number
- TG0843
- Girtin & Loshak Number
- 113 as 'Dartford, Kent'; 'c. 1795'
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in 2001 and 2018
Provenance
John Henderson (1764–1843); then by descent to John Henderson II (1797–1878) (lent to London, 1875); bequeathed to the Museum, 1878
Exhibition History
London, 1875, no.132 as 'A Pen and Ink Drawing of Dartford, Kent ... After a pencil sketch by the late Mr. Henderson'
Bibliography
Binyon, 1898–1907, no.101 as 'After John Henderson, Senior'
Place depicted
Other entries in Monro School Copies:
British Views, Including Works after the Outlines of John Henderson

An Upland Landscape with a Rainbow, Said to Be Lowther Fells
Kendal Town Hall

Tonbridge Bridge and Castle
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The High Rocks, near Tunbridge Wells
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

The Town of Rye, Seen from the Marshes
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Dover Castle, Seen from the Beach
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

An Upland Scene with a Wooded Valley
Leeds University Art Gallery

Unidentified Medieval Ruins, with Agricultural Buildings
Tate, London

A View near Keswick, Probably Bassenthwaite Lake
Private Collection

Skiddaw and Bassenthwaite Lake, from the Vale of Newlands
Private Collection

Looking South into Borrowdale, from the Shore of Derwentwater
Private Collection

Mountainous Landscape, Possibly in the Lake District
Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool

Boon Crag Cottage, with Coniston Water Beyond
Private Collection

A View in Cumbria, Probably Looking from Irton Fell towards Ravenglass
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

A View in Cumbria, Looking towards Irton and the Irish Sea, with the Isle of Man in the Distance
Tate, London

The River Leven, Cumbria, Viewed from Penny Bridge
Tate, London

St John's Vale, Cumbria
Private Collection

The Lodore Falls
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Langdale Pikes
Private Collection

An Unidentified Bridge over a Stream, Possibly in North Wales
Private Collection

Derwentwater, with Skiddaw in the Distance
Eton College, Windsor

Beddgelert Bridge, North Wales
Private Collection

A Mountainous Landscape with an Overshot Mill
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

A Mountainous River Landscape with a Bridge
Private Collection

Cynwyd Mill, near Corwen, North Wales
Brandler Galleries, Brentwood

Conwy: The Town Walls from the South East
Tate, London

Raglan Castle: The Great Hall
Private Collection

A Mountainous Landscape with an Unidentified Bridge, Possibly in North Wales
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

The Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale
Private Collection

An Estuary, Possibly Dartmouth
Private Collection

Grasmere: Looking North West to Helm Crag
Private Collection

The Head of Lake Windermere
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence

The Head of Derwentwater, with the Lodore Falls
Private Collection

Dover Harbour, with Shipping Being Overhauled
Tate, London

A Two-Master in Dover Harbour, with the Castle Beyond
Tate, London

Dover Harbour: A Ship Being Overhauled
Tate, London

A Boat on the Shore, near Shakespeare Cliff, Dover
Tate, London

Dover Harbour: Fishing Vessels, Their Sails Drying
Tate, London

Shipping in Dover Harbour, with the Castle Beyond
Tate, London

A Lake View, Possibly Ullswater
Private Collection

A General View of Dover Harbour, from the East
Tate, London

Dover Harbour: Small Boats by the Quay
Tate, London

Boats in Dover Harbour
British Museum, London

A Ship under Repair in Dover Harbour
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

Figures on a Fishing Vessel in Dover Harbour
Private Collection

A Fishing Vessel with Hastings Beyond
Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery

Dover Castle from the Sea
Private Collection

A Beached Vessel in the Inner Harbour at Dover
Private Collection

Dover Harbour, with the Castle on the Hill
British Museum, London

Dover Harbour
Private Collection

Beached Vessels in Dover Harbour, the Castle in the Distance
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton

Vessels Anchored in Dover Harbour, with the Castle Beyond
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Warehouses with Shipping in Dover Harbour
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton

Vessels in the Harbour at Dover, with the Castle Beyond
Private Collection

Dover Harbour, with the Cliffs Beyond
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart

Vessels Moored in Dover Harbour
Private Collection

The Inner Harbour, Dover, with the Castle Beyond
Brighton Museum and Art Gallery

A Ship Drawn Up on a Beach Being Careened
Private Collection

Beached Fishing Vessels, Dover Harbour
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

Beached Fishing Vessels in the Harbour at Dover
Private Collection

Boats Anchored in Dover Harbour
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Boats Anchored in Dover Harbour
Private Collection

Dover Harbour, with Fishing Boats at Low Tide
The High Museum of Art, Atlanta

Dover: The Harbour with Vessels
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

A Smack in Dover Harbour, Drying Sails, with the Old Church in the Distance
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

Dover Harbour: A Boat under Repair
Private Collection

Fishing Boats at Low Tide, near Dover
Courtauld Gallery, London

Dover: Two Boatmen Standing by the Prow of a Brig
Private Collection

Dover Harbour
Private Collection

A Fisherman's Cottage, Said to Be at Dover
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The Hull of a Ship under Repair, with a Barge and Smaller Boats
Tate, London

A Boat-Builder’s Yard, Possibly on the River Medway
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

A Boat-Builder’s Yard, Possibly on the Medway
Private Collection

A Boat-Builder’s Yard, Possibly on the River Medway
Private Collection

A Boat-Builder's Shed, Possibly on the River Medway
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

A Boat-Builder’s Shed, Possibly on the River Medway, with a Fishing Boat with Drying Sails
Tate, London

The Coast, near Dover
The Higgins, Bedford

Folkestone Harbour
Julian Huxley-Parlour Fine Art, London

Beachy Head, Looking towards Newhaven
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Beachy Head, Looking towards Newhaven
Ulster Museum, Belfast

Shakespeare Cliff, Dover
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

Beached Vessels in Dover Harbour, the Castle in the Distance
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Buildings on a Wooden Quayside
Private Collection

A Coast View with Chalk Cliffs, Probably from near Beachy Head
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

A Small Boat under Repair by a Jetty
Private Collection

Dover: Snargate Street, Looking West
Private Collection

Dartford High Street
Private Collection

Tonbridge Bridge and Castle
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

Rye, from the River Tillingham
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Dover: Fishing Boats at Low Tide
Private Collection

Two Boatmen Caulking the Bows of a Beached Brig, Probably at Dover
Private Collection

Hastings: A Beached Fishing Boat
Private Collection

A Coastal Scene at Dover
Worthing Museum and Art Gallery

Mickleham Church
Tate, London

Dolbadarn Castle on Llyn Padarn
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

Conwy Castle, from the East
Huddersfield Art Gallery

Harlech Castle, from the South
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

The Gatehouse, Harlech Castle, Seen from the Moat
Private Collection, Gloucestershire

The High Street at Egham
Private Collection

Boats in Dover Harbour
Leeds Art Gallery

Two Trees Overlooking a Meandering River
Private Collection

A Dilapidated Cottage
Private Collection

Dover: Boats Anchored in the Harbour
Private Collection

A Coastal View near Dover, probably at St Margaret's, Cliffe
Private Collection

Dover: Beached Boats, with the Castle Beyond
Private Collection

Dover Harbour: The Stern of a Large Ship, and Smaller Vessels
Tate, London

The Town of Rye, Seen from the Marshes
British Museum, London
Revisions & Feedback
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About this Work
This highly detailed pen and ink drawing of Dartford High Street was copied by Girtin from an on-the-spot pencil sketch executed by one of his most important early patrons, the amateur John Henderson (1764–1843) (see the source image above). In turn, it was used as the basis for a watercolour that appears to have been produced for Henderson’s neighbour and close associate, Dr Thomas Monro (1759–1833) (TG0844). It is important to emphasise, however, that the copy was made quite independently from the Monro School subjects that Girtin made in collaboration with his contemporary Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851). This drawing was executed for Henderson himself, therefore, and it remained with the family until it was bequeathed to the British Museum in 1878 along with a significant group of other copies by Girtin that have the same dimensions, employ a similar firm pen outline over a slighter pencil sketch, and are all after the work of other artists. Copies such as Rome: The Temple of Saturn, Called The Temple of Concord (TG0893) and The Temple of Augustus at Pula (TG0896) provide the context for this view, rather than the dozens of Dover views that Girtin and Turner worked up from Henderson’s drawings at Monro’s house.
Working from the elaborate prints of professional artists, Girtin was content to copy their figures verbatim. However, whilst Henderson, perhaps with the aid of a camera obscura, was capable of producing an accurate and detailed study of the High Street, the amateur’s figures are particularly feeble and Girtin had no choice but to add his own complex and varied cast. Overlaying images of the two drawings illustrates just how closely Girtin followed his patron’s sketch, but this did not amount to tracing the original since the procedure of superimposing the works also illustrates how much the composition has been compressed; moreover, in addition to the invention of figures, numerous small details have been filled in, ranging from the tiles on the roofs to the precise fenestration. The result is that an on-the-spot sketch, inscribed and dated by Henderson ‘Dartford, July 26 / 94’, is transformed into a commodity more akin to a presentation drawing, and something that might easily be converted into a full-blown studio watercolour. The counter view, that this drawing was actually copied from the watercolour, can be tested by again overlaying images of the two works. This shows that although the watercolour (the larger work) has exactly the same staffage, the process of compression begun in the copy has intensified, so that in terms of the proportions of the three views, Henderson’s original and Girtin’s pen and ink study have more in common. All of this suggests that the watercolour was the last to be produced.
In terms of both the subject (a busy high street) and the composition (an oblique view taken from the pavement), the Dartford drawing has much in common with a Dover street scene that also appears to have been copied from a Henderson sketch, Dover: Snargate Street, Looking West (TG0842). It is also worth recalling that Girtin was probably engaged at this time in the first versions of his major London street scene St Paul’s Cathedral, from St Martin’s-le-Grand (TG1396), which repeats the composition of the curving, building-lined street shown here and includes a comparable set of figures in the road and on the pavements.
1795 - 1796
Dartford High Street
TG0844
1796 - 1797
Rome: The Temple of Saturn, Called the Temple of Concord
TG0893
1797 - 1798
The Temple of Augustus at Pula in Istria
TG0896
1795 - 1796
Dover: Snargate Street, Looking West
TG0842
1795 - 1796
St Paul’s Cathedral, from St Martin’s-le-Grand
TG1396