Early Monochrome Pictures, mid 1830s
2.1. Harwich jetty, Essex, Rev J L Petit
1828-34, 8x13cm, watercolour on paper, private collection.
Shipping pictures were a favourite of Petit’s at this time. Harwich is near where Petit worked as curate. Delamotte would later say that Petit in his early views of ships demonstrates full mastery of his subject as well as with architecture.
2.2 Nr Mistley; Rev J L Petit
c1830-35, 19x13cm, watercolour on paper, private collection.
Another dark landscape from the river Stour. The gleam of light breaking through the clouds would be described in his long poem at the end of his life. This appears to have been a difficult time for Petit and yet not without hope.
2.3 Near Wolverhampton, Rev J L Petit
c1830-35, 15x20cm, watercolour on paper, private collection.
This is one of very few pictures of the industrial landscape of the Black Country before 1850. Un-commercial in the romantic early Victorian time, Petit was not constrained by such considerations. Professor Chris Baker suggest that this picture might have been painted from the west of Dudley where St Edmunds and St Thomas’ churches are so aligned, see https://profchrisbaker.com/2021/03/22/the-black-country-pictures-of-john-louis-petit/
2.4 St Peter’s Wolverhampton, Rev J L Petit
c1830-35, 27x20cm, watercolour on paper, private collection.
St Peter’s was a favourite of Petit’s until its restoration and made many studies of it. Here capturing its proud independence derived from its long history at the centre of Wolverhampton
2.5 Wolverhampton, Rev J L Petit
c35, 20x25cm, watercolour on paper, private collection.
A more distant view
2.6 Church, Briel, Rev J L Petit
c1832-4, 17x12cm, watercolour on paper, private collection.
An exercise from an early visit to the Low Countries in Prout’s footsteps to capture texture of medieval buildings.
2.7 Neuer Kirke, Delft, Rev J L Petit
circa 1833, 20x29cm, watercolour on paper, private collection.
This is unusually large for that period. As he describes in his first book, Remarks on Church Architecture, he visited the Netherlands from Harwich during the time that he served as curate in nearby Bradfield, until 1834. These are believed to be his first trips abroad. A different view of this church is illustrated opposite page 160 of vol 2. “Delft – here are two very fine churches, the old and the new, although there appears but little difference in date”