Rudolph Ackermann (1764–1834) began by supplying art materials and sundries to the amateur market through his shop, the Repository of Arts at 101 The Strand, London. He expanded his business to include publishing, supplying the market for topographical prints with collections of hand-coloured aquatints, amongst which were Four Views from Nature: From Drawings by Mr. Girtin, issued in May 1800. Ackermann’s journal, also known as The Repository of Arts, began publication in 1809 and included in 1812–13 a series of articles on the ‘Rise and Progress of Painting in Water Colours’, written by William Henry Pyne (1770–1843); the texts include important details on Girtin’s career, based on close observation of the artist at work as well as outlining his contribution to the development of a national school of ‘painting in water colours’.