Victoria and Albert Museum

Since the early nineteenth century, the term ‘topography’ has been used in Britain to define the description, mapping or representation of the features of a given area. This genre is associated with the medium of watercolour.

This display charts the development of topography, from the scientific observation of Penn and architectural views of Malton, to picturesque landscapes by Turner and Constable, ending with the changes in representation in the early twentieth century, exemplified by Clausen.