Lot Essay
Although Callow travelled extenisvely on the continent he made only one recorded trip to Holland, in the summer of 1845, and thereafter occasionally exhibited work from this tour at the Society of Painters in Water Colour. Callow wrote that 'The year of 1845 was one of considerable moment to me' (W. Callow An Autobiography, ed. H.M. Cundall, London, 1908): he gave up smoking and became engaged to one of his pupils, Harriet Anne Smart.
Callow arrived in Rotterdam, on the first stop of his tour, by steamer and many of his drawing of the city feature it characteristic waterways. Although such works were invariably exhibited as Canal Scenes this drawing and the following lot, no. 60, are larger and more finished versions of a sketch now in the city of Birmingham Art Gallery, of Wyn Haven, the ancient of Rotterdam harbour (inv. 67 '31); illustrated as no. 41 in J. Reynolds William Callow London, 1980). In both cases fishing boats have been added which are very similar to pen and ink studies made at Scheveningen 'From the Hague/visited Scheveningen, where I obtained some good sketches of Dutch fishing-boats and then proceeded by diligence to Delft, Leydon and Harlem. These places were exceedingly dull ...'.
Callow arrived in Rotterdam, on the first stop of his tour, by steamer and many of his drawing of the city feature it characteristic waterways. Although such works were invariably exhibited as Canal Scenes this drawing and the following lot, no. 60, are larger and more finished versions of a sketch now in the city of Birmingham Art Gallery, of Wyn Haven, the ancient of Rotterdam harbour (inv. 67 '31); illustrated as no. 41 in J. Reynolds William Callow London, 1980). In both cases fishing boats have been added which are very similar to pen and ink studies made at Scheveningen 'From the Hague/visited Scheveningen, where I obtained some good sketches of Dutch fishing-boats and then proceeded by diligence to Delft, Leydon and Harlem. These places were exceedingly dull ...'.