Turner's lifetime was also the classic age of English watercolour, and his mastery and perfection of the medium coincided with its establishment as an independent art form. Turner was at the forefront of these developments, but he also stood apart from them. This volume examines the unique body of watercolours Turner produced throughout his lifetime. In an extensive and illuminating introduction, world-acclaimed Turner expert David Blayney Brown provides a context to the watercolours and a background to the Tate's unrivalled collection of Turner's work. Aspects considered include, 'From Architecture to Landscape: Early Work', 'Nature and the Ideal: Work in England to 1815', 'Home and Abroad: Watercolour and Gouache in the 1820s', 'The Annual Tourist: Designing for the Engraver in the 1830s' and 'Hand and Heart: the Late Watercolours'.