A view of Hampstead Heath looking towards Cannon Place

Harriet Gouldsmith was one of the few professional female landscape painters of the early 19th century. It was rumoured that she was romantically linked to the artist, William Mulready (1786-1863), whose pupil she was between 1806-07 and again between 1809-10, through whom she met John Linnell (1792-1882), whose influence is discernable in this work. Gouldsmith exhibited two other views of North London at the Old Watercolour Society, 'View of St John's Wood Lane, Paddington' in 1818 (purchased by Lord Dartmouth) and 'View of St John's Wood Farm, Mary-le-Bone' the following year.