- Description
-
- Creator(s)
- Thomas Girtin (1775-1802)
- Title
-
- Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea (The White House, Chelsea)
- Date
- 1800
- Medium and Support
- Graphite and watercolour on laid paper
- Dimensions
- 29.8 × 51.4 cm, 11 ¾ × 20 ¼ in
- Inscription
‘Girtin 1800’ lower left in pen and ink, by Thomas Girtin
- Object Type
- Studio Watercolour
- Subject Terms
- London and Environs; River Scenery; The River Thames; Wind and Water Mills
-
- Collection
- Versions
-
Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea
(TG1525)
Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea (TG1601)
Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea (TG1741)
- Catalogue Number
- TG1740
- Girtin & Loshak Number
- 337ii as 'The White House at Chelsea'
- Description Source(s)
- Viewed in 2001, 2002 and 2011
Provenance
Thomas Girtin (1775–1802); his posthumous sale, possibly Christie's, 1 June 1803, lot 39 as ‘Battersea Reach’; bought by ‘Harman’ for £10 10s; ... William Bernard Cooke (1778–1855) (lent to London, 1823); Benjamin Godfrey Windus (1790–1867) (according to the mezzotint by Samuel William Reynolds); David Thomas White, London (as recorded in The Spectator, 5 November 1842); Thos. Agnew & Sons; their sale, Christie's, 4 November 1861, lot 969, 25 gns; Horatio Lucas Micholls (lent to London, 1871, London, 1875; London, 1891); then by descent to Edward Montefiore Micholls (d.1926); his widow, Ada Micholls (d.1933); bequeathed to the Gallery, 1933
Exhibition History
London, 1823, no.16 as ’Chelsea Reach, looking towards Battersea. An admirable specimen of the Artist’ (Lady’s Magazine, January 1823, pp.51–52; European Magazine, January 1823, p.55, p.59; The Examiner, 5 January 1823, pp.10–11; Morning Chronicle, 27 January 1823; Literary Register, 18 January 1823, p.44); London, 1871, no.115 as ’View on the Thames. Chelsea Reach, with Windmill and White House’; London, 1875, no.102 as ’The White House, Chelsea Reach ... It is said that Turner declared this drawing to be finer than any painted by himself’; London, 1891, no.41 as ’White House, Battersea Reach’; London, 1924b, no.N.10; London, 1934b, no.914 as ’White House, Chelsea’; London, 1973, no.187; Manchester, 1975, no.60 as ’The White House, Chelsea’; London, 1986, no.9; New York, 1987, no.283; Liverpool, 1991, p.29; London, 1993, no.143; London, 2002, no.159 as ’The White House at Chelsea’; London, 2009, no.86; London, 2011, no.42; Shanghai, 2018
Bibliography
Miller, 1854, p.xx; Thornbury, 1862, vol.1, pp.118–19, pp.393–94; Wedmore, 1876, pp.112–13; Binyon, 1900, p.24; Sparrow, 1902, pp.83–84; Stokes, 1922, p.74; Hind, 1923, pp.241–42; Davies, 1924, p.19, p.22, pl.84 as 'Chelsea Reach - "The White House"'; Binyon, 1931, pp.117–18; Binyon, 1933, pp.106–07; Massingham, 1933, p.38; Hardie, 1934, p.7; Hardie, 1938–39, p.89, pp.91–92; Binyon, 1939, pp.7–8; Bury, 1942, p.40; Piper, 1942, p.14; Oppé, 1946b, pp.127–28; Mayne, 1949, p.25, p.53, p.55, pp.64–65, p.98, pl.32b; Williams, 1952, p.107; Girtin and Loshak, 1954, pp.70–73; Smedley, 1955, pp.38–42; Gage, 1965, p.65; Hardie, 1966–68, vol.2, p.13, p.20; Louden, 1969, pp.84–86; Mayoux, 1972, p.123; Holcomb, 1974, pp.52–53; Hawcroft, 1975, p.16; Honour, 1979, pp.66-67; Wilton, 1977, pp.187–88; Vaughan, 1978, pp.188-89; Morris, 1987b, p.17; Gage, 1987, pp.124–25; Kitson, 1988, p.4; Humphreys, 1989, pp.60–02 Ford, 1990, p.164; Finch, 1991, pp.39–40; Hemingway, 1992, p.23; Vaughan, 1999, p.194; Beckett, 1999, p.177; Humphreys, 2001, p.99; Hoozee, 2007, pp.192–93; Solkin, 2015, p.266; Ibata, 2018, pp.189–91; Jones, 2018, p.171; Charles, 2020, p.254
Place depicted
Other entries in Late Watercolours:
Samuel William Reynolds and Painting for the Art Market

An Imaginary City, with Antique Buildings
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence

Ancient Ruins, with an Obelisk
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Ancient Ruins, with a Gothic Church
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

A Classical Composition, with a Church and Column
Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool

The Arch of Janus, Rome
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The Temple of Clitumnus
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Rome: The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Rome: The Temple of Saturn, with the Arch of Septimius Severus
Private Collection, USA

A Town on an Estuary
Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence

A Lagoon Capriccio
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

An Unidentified Coastal Landscape with a Windmill
Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight

Barnard Castle, from the River Tees
Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle

A Farmhouse, Said to Be near Newcastle upon Tyne
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

An Exterior View of the Ruins of Lindisfarne Priory Church
Lindisfarne Priory, English Heritage

Kelso Abbey: The West Front
The Whitworth, University of Manchester

Jedburgh Abbey, from the Riverbank
The Higgins, Bedford

On the River Medway, with a Boatyard, Beached Vessels and Hulks
Private Collection

Bisham Abbey, on the River Thames
Private Collection

A Classical Composition, with Figures Admiring the Sculptures
The Whitworth, University of Manchester

An Unidentified Ruin next to a Bridge over a Stream, Said to Be Furness Abbey
Touchstones Rochdale

The Gatehouse of Morpeth Castle
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Buildings on the River Nidd, near Knaresborough
British Museum, London

Kirkstall Abbey, from Kirkstall Hill
British Museum, London

Kirkstall Abbey, from Kirkstall Bridge, Morning
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Kirkstall Abbey, from the Canal, Evening
Private Collection

A Distant View of Kirkstall Abbey
Williamson Art Gallery, Birkenhead

Wetherby Bridge and Mills, Looking across the Weir
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Wetherby: Looking through the Bridge to the Mills
British Museum, London

Wetherby: Looking through the Bridge to the Mills
Leeds Art Gallery

Kirk Deighton, near Wetherby
The Whitworth, University of Manchester

York: The New Walk on the Banks of the River Ouse
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

York: The Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern
The Whitworth, University of Manchester

York: The Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern
Private Collection

York Minster from the South East, Layerthorpe Bridge and Postern to the Right
Private Collection

A Farmyard with Barns, Ladder and Figures; A Sky Study
Courtauld Gallery, London

Ripon Minster, with Skellgate Bridge
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

Ripon Minster, with Skellgate Bridge
Leeds Art Gallery

Ripon Minster, with Skellgate Bridge
Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery

A Distant View of Ripon Minster, from the River Skell
Private Collection

Ripon Minster, from the South East
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Ripon Minster, from the South West
Private Collection

The Abbey Mill, near Knaresborough
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

A Mountain Stream in Spate, Possibly the River Wharfe
Private Collection

Bolton Abbey: The East End of the Priory Church from across the River Wharfe
Eton College, Windsor

Bolton Abbey: The East End of the Priory Church, from across the River Wharfe
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff

Bolton Abbey: The East End of the Priory Church, from across the River Wharfe
Leeds Art Gallery

Bolton Abbey, from the River Wharfe
Private Collection

Bolton Abbey, from the River Wharfe
Private Collection

The Banks of the River Wharfe, with Bolton Abbey in the Distance
Private Collection

Stepping Stones on the River Wharfe, near Bolton Abbey
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Stepping Stones on the River Wharfe, near Bolton Abbey
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

An Upland Landscape, Identified as Storiths Heights, near Bolton Abbey
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

Richmond Castle, from the River Swale
Leeds Art Gallery

A Farmhouse in Malhamdale, Known as 'Kirkby Priory, near Malham'
British Museum, London

An Ancient Oak, Said to Be on the River Ure
Private Collection

Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Private Collection, Norfolk

Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Private Collection

Cottages at Hawes, from Gayle Beck
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Guisborough Priory: The Ruined East End
Tate, London

A Distant View of Guisborough Priory; The Tithe Barn, Abbotsbury
Private Collection, Norfolk

A Distant View of Guisborough Priory
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

A Distant View of Guisborough Priory
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

A Farmhouse, Said to Be near Newcastle upon Tyne
Private Collection

Warkworth Castle, from the River Coquet
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

An Upland Landscape, Said to Show Etal Castle
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The River Tweed at Kelso, Looking Upstream
Courtauld Gallery, London

Kelso Abbey: The West Front
Private Collection, Northumberland

The Eildon Hills, from the River Tweed at Dryburgh
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

A Distant View of Dryburgh Abbey, with the Eildon Hills Beyond
Private Collection

The Valley of the Tweed, with Melrose Abbey in the Distance
Private Collection

Jedburgh Abbey, from Jed Water
Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

Jedburgh Abbey, from the South East
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

The Village of Jedburgh
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

Southampton: The South Gate and Old Gaol
Private Collection

Bristol Harbour, with St Mary Redcliffe in the Distance
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

A Wharf with Shipping, Possibly at Bristol
Art Institute of Chicago

A Rainbow over the River Exe
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin

A Rainbow over the River Exe
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, San Marino

A Rainbow over the River Exe
Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield

Lydford Castle, from the River Lyd
Clark Art Institute, Williamstown

St Vincent’s Rocks and the Avon Gorge
The Whitworth, University of Manchester

On the River Taw, North Devon, Looking from Braunton Marsh towards Instow and Appledore
National Gallery of Art, Washington

Conwy Castle, from the River Gyffin
Private Collection, Norfolk

Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea (The White House, Chelsea)
Tate, London

Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea
Private Collection, Norfolk

A Panoramic Landscape, with Figures Trawling a Pond
Private Collection

Landscape with a Distant Ridge, Possibly Hampstead Heath
Yale Center for British Art, New Haven

An Inn Yard, Edgware Road, Paddington
British Museum, London

The Thames from a Window of the Old Toy Inn, Hampton Court
British Museum, London

The Old Cottage, Widmore, near Bromley
British Museum, London

Shipping on the River Medway
Museum of New Zealand, Wellington

A Farmyard with Cattle, Poultry and Labourers Unloading Hay, Possibly Pinckney's Farm, Radwinter
Art Institute of Chicago

Farmhouse and Outbuildings, Possibly in Essex
Aberdeen Art Gallery

An Unidentified Village Street with a Church Tower in the Distance
British Museum, London

A Panoramic Landscape, Possibly Showing Primrose Hill, London
Private Collection

A Mountain Stream with a Watermill and Bridge
Eton College, Windsor

Unidentified Landscape with a Distant Rain Shower
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff

Warkworth Church, with the Bridge Beyond
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

An Italianate Landscape with Two Monks
Private Collection
Footnotes
- 1 It is also possible that the work was sold at Girtin’s posthumous sale in 1803 as ‘Battersea Reach’ to ‘Harman’ for ten guineas. ‘Harman’ was one of the main purchasers at the sale, acquiring nine items. Although it has not been possible to identify the purchaser, it may have been the ‘A. Harman’ who, as clerk to Samuel Whitbread (1764–1815), listed Reynolds’ holdings of Girtin’s works (Documents: 1803 – Item 3). It is possible, therefore, that Reynolds got access to the drawing through Harman post 1803 rather than actually owning the work. Thanks to Tim Wilcox for noting the fact that I initially omitted this possible detail of the work's provenance (Wilcox, 2023, p.23).
- 2 The letters are transcribed in the Documents section of the Archive (1801 – Item 4 and 1803 – Item 3).
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About this Work
This magnificent watercolour, so thoroughly deserving of its iconic status as a highlight of the national school of watercolours, is based on a simple pencil drawing inscribed ‘Battersea Reach’ that shows the view upriver from a spot close to the present-day Chelsea Bridge (TG1525). Another sketch in the Whitworth Book of Drawings that has always been associated with this watercolour (TG1601) is executed on paper with an ‘1801’ watermark and must therefore postdate this work, which is dated 1800. The inscriptions on both pencil drawings are inaccurate, however, as the view actually shows Chelsea Reach, and the modern title, The White House at Chelsea (sometimes given as The White House, Chelsea), is therefore wrong on more than one count, since the riverside house temporarily illuminated by the setting sun is actually in Battersea, and the title given on the print published in 1823, Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea (see the second print after, above), is the correct one (Smedley, 1955, p.41). The common consensus is that such topographical details, including the fact that the setting sun at this location would not shine on the side of the house facing us, are ‘beside the point’, as I rather foolishly put it in the catalogue of Girtin’s 2002 bicentenary exhibition, as it is surely the timeless evocation of an evening effect that is the real subject of the watercolour (Smith, 2002b, p.209). In fact, I now think it is important to establish the precise location, because not only is the image an important record of London’s rural hinterland prior to it being swept away by encroaching urbanisation but it also actually includes a subtle reference to the impending triumph of modern industry that I missed when cataloguing the work in 2002. Thus, opposite to Battersea Bridge and Chelsea Old Church is Joseph Freeman’s mill, which is pointedly juxtaposed with the innovative horizontal air mill, seen behind to the right, which was built with internal sails and thus might have better dealt with the windless conditions shown here. At least some of the mournful sense of passing that is evoked by the transient effect of dusk can be attributed to our knowledge that this is a landscape on the cusp of being lost to inexorable urbanisation, and that industrial progress will see London’s traditional riverside windmills consigned to the past.
The White House, Chelsea may be incorrect as a title, but it is not surprising that it has stuck in the popular imagination, as the small area of white, part of the narrowest of panoramic bands into which all of the topographical elements are confined, is the key to understanding both the work’s impact as an image and its status as a paradigm of the watercolour medium. The way in which a nondescript building, and one that was certainly not white, has momentarily been lit up therefore sets in motion a range of powerful resonances. An absolutely still landscape at dusk, devoid of any overt human presence, will in any case evoke a reflective mood, but this is made more poignant by our awareness that the house’s prominence will quickly fade, and its moment of transcendence is just that – a moment. The fact that sky and water dominate the usual signs of human activity in the city only reinforces the theme of transience. But this is more than just a fine example of the artist’s mastery of a natural effect to imbue an ordinary landscape with a rich set of associations, because the work does this in a manner that could only have been achieved in the watercolour medium. The crucial point is that the brilliant white of the house and its reflection are represented by leaving an area of the off-white cartridge paper untouched, with just a touch of yellow to strengthen the contrast. Using the cream colour of the paper to represent an area of white is, I suggest, the technical equivalent of the magical transformation of the house by the chance fall of light, and has come to represent Girtin as the epitome of a laconic, less-is-more aesthetic, where the economy of means is a signifier of genius.
Such is the status of Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea that it is easy to forget the ordinary circumstances in which it was created. Although Girtin’s earliest biographers created stories suggesting a eureka-type moment for the subject’s inception, it is likely that the watercolour was made as part of a large group that the artist supplied in 1800–1801 to Samuel William Reynolds (1773–1835), who acted on behalf of the artist in his final years in a role somewhere between agent and dealer (Miller, 1854, p.xx).1 The watercolour thus conforms to the larger of the two standard sizes that Girtin painted for sale on the art market, and Reynolds must have had the work in his possession in order to make a mezzotint of the composition (see the first print after, above) as well as a full-size copy (TG1741). According to Reynolds, he valued such works at seven guineas each in 1801, though he was able to sell them for around £10 following the artist’s death (Reynolds, Letter, 1801; Reynolds, Letter, 1803).2 The work was not exhibited during Girtin’s life, and it was not actually seen in public until 1823, when it appeared as ‘Chelsea Reach, looking towards Battersea’ in a show organised by its first known owner, the publisher William Bernard Cooke (1778–1855), who was responsible for a second mezzotint (see the second print after, above) (Exhibitions: London, 1823, no.16). The receptions accorded to both the watercolour and the print were highly positive, and, though the work was only seen in public on another four occasions in the hundred or so years before it entered the collection of the Tate Gallery in 1933, its fame continued to grow. Part of this was no doubt helped by the early biographers of Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), who concocted stories of varying credibility expressing the artist’s admiration for his erstwhile contemporary and rival (Thornbury, 1862, vol.1, p.393). The two mezzotints produced after the work also helped to keep it in the public consciousness, though they no doubt additionally encouraged the proliferation of copies in both oils (see TG1741 figure 1) and watercolours, one of the least bad of which is attributed to John Varley (1778–1842) (see figure 1).
On a technical note, the paper historian Peter Bower has identified the support used by Girtin as an off-white laid drawing cartridge paper by an unknown English manufacturer. The surface of the paper has been flattened during extensive conservation work in the past (Smith, 2002b, p.159; Bower, Report).
1799 - 1800
Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea
TG1525
(?) 1801
Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea
TG1601
1800 - 1805
Chelsea Reach, Looking towards Battersea
TG1741