Colchester, Essex

In 1825, Turner was commissioned to produce designs for a series of engravings of English and Welsh landscapes. This view of Colchester shows the artist grappling with the challenges of producing watercolours intended for engraving. He developed a technique of layering careful finishes of stippling over colour washes, especially visible at the lower right edge. The figures chasing a hare allude to the witch hunts that took place in Colchester during the Civil War: according to rural tradition, witches could transform themselves into hares.