Social and Political Allusions in Turner’s Kirkby Lonsdale Churchyard
J.M.W. Turner’s watercolour of *Kirkby Lonsdale Churchyard* (circa 1817--18) was produced for engraving in the Rev. Thomas Dunham Whitaker’s topographical publication *An History of Richmondshire* (1823), one of twenty designs Turner contributed to that work. The squabbling schoolboys who dis...
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Yale University
2023-11-01
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| Series: | British Art Studies |
| Online Access: | https://britishartstudies.ac.uk/issues/25/social-and-political-allusions-in-turners-kirkby-lonsdale-churchyard/ |
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| author | Sam Smiles |
| author_facet | Sam Smiles |
| author_sort | Sam Smiles |
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J.M.W. Turner’s watercolour of *Kirkby Lonsdale Churchyard* (circa 1817--18) was produced for engraving in the Rev. Thomas Dunham Whitaker’s topographical publication *An History of Richmondshire* (1823), one of twenty designs Turner contributed to that work. The squabbling schoolboys who disturb the foreground are not routine staffage figures and their presence has always provoked comment. This article proposes that Turner included them as a disguised allusion to the Tory government’s persecution of the political satirist William Hone, whose trials for blasphemy and sedition took place in December 1817. It further suggests that, by situating the incident in Kirkby Lonsdale, Turner was able to make an oblique reference to the political corruption associated with the Earl of Lonsdale’s domination of Westmorland elections. The watercolour can be added to a dozen other examples of works by Turner bearing allusions to the Reform movement, painted in the 1820s and 1830s. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9b40c40be78e4ea78250339e8561a8e9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2058-5462 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Yale University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | British Art Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-9b40c40be78e4ea78250339e8561a8e92025-08-20T03:31:02ZengYale UniversityBritish Art Studies2058-54622023-11-012510.17658/issn.2058-5462/issue-25/ssmilesSocial and Political Allusions in Turner’s Kirkby Lonsdale ChurchyardSam Smiles0University of Exeter J.M.W. Turner’s watercolour of *Kirkby Lonsdale Churchyard* (circa 1817--18) was produced for engraving in the Rev. Thomas Dunham Whitaker’s topographical publication *An History of Richmondshire* (1823), one of twenty designs Turner contributed to that work. The squabbling schoolboys who disturb the foreground are not routine staffage figures and their presence has always provoked comment. This article proposes that Turner included them as a disguised allusion to the Tory government’s persecution of the political satirist William Hone, whose trials for blasphemy and sedition took place in December 1817. It further suggests that, by situating the incident in Kirkby Lonsdale, Turner was able to make an oblique reference to the political corruption associated with the Earl of Lonsdale’s domination of Westmorland elections. The watercolour can be added to a dozen other examples of works by Turner bearing allusions to the Reform movement, painted in the 1820s and 1830s. https://britishartstudies.ac.uk/issues/25/social-and-political-allusions-in-turners-kirkby-lonsdale-churchyard/ |
| spellingShingle | Sam Smiles Social and Political Allusions in Turner’s Kirkby Lonsdale Churchyard British Art Studies |
| title | Social and Political Allusions in Turner’s Kirkby Lonsdale Churchyard |
| title_full | Social and Political Allusions in Turner’s Kirkby Lonsdale Churchyard |
| title_fullStr | Social and Political Allusions in Turner’s Kirkby Lonsdale Churchyard |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social and Political Allusions in Turner’s Kirkby Lonsdale Churchyard |
| title_short | Social and Political Allusions in Turner’s Kirkby Lonsdale Churchyard |
| title_sort | social and political allusions in turner s kirkby lonsdale churchyard |
| url | https://britishartstudies.ac.uk/issues/25/social-and-political-allusions-in-turners-kirkby-lonsdale-churchyard/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT samsmiles socialandpoliticalallusionsinturnerskirkbylonsdalechurchyard |