Miles Cotman

Miles Cotman left behind small, precise drawings of everyday waterways and ships. Around 1830–58 he captured “Sea-piece with a hay-barge” and “Sea-piece with shipping,” thin pencil lines showing waves and rigging without fuss. He also sketched the River Wensum in Norwich, its banks lined with the backs of old houses. These quiet scenes belong to the mid-19th-century British tradition of topographical drawing. Tap “The river Wensum, with the backs of old houses in King Street, Norwich” to see how he framed ordinary places with care.