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Charlotte Mason Picture Study Aid John Constable

Boat-Building near Flatford Mill

1815
oil on canvas
50.8 cm x 61.6 cm
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

KEY TOPICS:

• The scene depicted is a dry-dock, belonging to Constable’s father, near the Stour River where a large wooden
boat is being constructed. In the foreground is a man sitting in front of the unfinished boat with various tools of

the trade as well as two dogs laying on the ground. To the right further beyond the main scene are tall trees with
the figure of a child in front of them. To the left are other boat makers on grass leading to the river in various

stages of the construction process. In the far left, a bridge can be seen spanning the river as well as distant
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buildings. A summer sky with hazy clouds takes up the upper portion of the piece.
• Some of the tools surrounding the boat are saws, hammers, adzes (similar to an axe but with a curved head), a

sharpening wheel behind the boat, and a wooden-and-metal jack on the ground near the seated figure. There is
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also an iron pot in the lower-left part of the piece heating pitch with which to caulk the planking of the boat.
• This piece was originally created as a thumbnail sketch, though slightly different and with fewer figures, which
Constable made in September of 1814. The painting itself was completed entirely outside (or en plain air). While

Constable did often paint parts of his pieces outside, which he began doing between 1814 and 1817, this is the
only piece he claimed to have made entirely out of doors.
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• This dock still exists today and can be seen here: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/208978

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