Forge Valley near Scarborough
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Image: Courtauld
Image: Courtauld
Maker
(artist)
1751-1821
1751-1821
Title
Forge Valley near Scarborough
Date of Production
11 February 1782
Medium
Pen and black ink, ink wash and watercolour over traces of graphite on laid paper, laid down on a secondary support with a pen and wash border
Dimensions
Height: 27 cm
Width: 44.7 cm
Width: 44.7 cm
Object Number
D.2026.MB.5
Mode of Acquisition
Michael Broughton, gift, 2026
Credit
Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust). Michael Broughton bequest, 2026
Location
Not currently on display
Label Text
Using shades of grey and sparing touches of colour, Harriet Lister captures the pearly quality of cloud-shadowed sunlight falling on the slopes of the Forge Valley in her native North Yorkshire. The flow of the river Derwent between the wooded hills contributes to the somewhat unsettled atmosphere.
Lister exhibited this drawing at the Royal Academy, which was then based in Somerset House, in 1784. The only daughter of a wealthy York family, little is known of Lister’s training, but she was clearly an accomplished artist.
Lister exhibited this drawing at the Royal Academy, which was then based in Somerset House, in 1784. The only daughter of a wealthy York family, little is known of Lister’s training, but she was clearly an accomplished artist.
Inscriptions
Inscription: Inscribed, secondary support, verso, "19" (upper left, graphite, circled); "Forge Valley near Scarbro' / (from Mrs H.G.'s Sketch)" (upper left, brown ink); "HL. Feb. 11 1782 -" (lower left, brown ink, by the artist); "H. Lister" (lower centre, graphite, by the artist; [inscription too faint to decipher] (lower right, graphite).
Historic mount (now removed), inner recto: lower right, graphite: "MF".
Provenance
Sworders, London, 25 July 2006, lot 802; Michael Broughton (1944-2026), Watford; Michael Broughton bequest, 2026
Exhibition History
A View of One's Own, Landscapes by British Women Artists, 1760-1860, Courtauld Gallery, London, 28/01/2026-20/05/2026
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