Constable

MASTERPIECES IN COLOUR
EDITED BY T. LEMAN HARE
CONSTABLE
1776-1837

PLATE I.—THE VALLEY FARM.
(Frontispiece).
National Gallery.
In The Valley Farm, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1835, two years before his death, Constable returned to the scenes of his boyhood, to Willy Lott's house on the banks of the Stour. His hand and eye have lost something of their grip and freshness, but his purpose is as firm as ever. I have preserved God Almighty's day light, he wrote, which is enjoyed by all mankind, excepting only the lovers of old, dirty canvas, perished pictures at a thousand guineas each, cart grease, tar, and snuff of candle. The old Adam, you perceive, was still strong in him.
CONSTABLE
BY C. LEWIS HIND