Hannah Turner, Student of Cotman

This delightful drawing shows John Sell Cotman's influence as a teacher in the early decades of the 19th century—drawn by the daughter of one of his important patrons. Hannah Sarah Turner (later Brightwen) (1808–1882) was the daughter of Dawson Turner FRS FSA (1775–1858), a Great Yarmouth banker, botanist and antiquary. Dawson's mother was Elizabeth Cotman, a relative of the artist, and the two men became friends—Cotman living at Great Yarmouth between 1812 and 1823. Dawson Turner and Cotman toured Normandy together and collaborated on a book, Architectural Antiquities of Normandy, published in 1822.

This drawing displays the flat planes of transparent colour and precise control of light and dark forms so characteristic of Cotman's style. Hannah Turner's mother was also an artist, Mary Turner née Palgrave (1774–1850), whose portrait by Cotman is in the V&A (image 2 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London).