Catalogue of British Oil Paintings, 1820-60

From luminaries such as J.M.W.Turner to the all but forgotten George Travers - and through the hierarchy of genres from high art to animals, fruit, flowers, sea and landscapes - the 500 pictures covered in this catalogue form about half of the V&A's collection of British oil paintings.

From luminaries such as J.M.W. Turner to the all but forgotten George Travers - and through the hierarchy of genres from high art to animals, fruit, flowers, sea and landscapes - the 500 pictures covered in this catalogue, many of which are published and reproduced for the first time, form about half of the V & A's collection of British oil paintings. Many of these paintings were given to the museum by its founders - the earliest example was the remarkable Sheepshanks gift in 1857, when 233 paintings were donated. Each painting is illustrated in miniature, and entries are arranged in alphabetical order, by name of artist. Brief biographical notes are included, with a note of the circumstances of the work's commission, details of its later history, and, in some circumstances, physical condition.