Old Cheyne Walk

From a well-known artistic family, Severn was closely linked to John Ruskin; he married the famous art critic's niece Joan Ruskin Agnew in 1871.

This work was commissioned by The Art Journal, which was an important annual publication dedicated to the publication of etchings by leading artists of the late nineteenth century. It was described by the editors as a place where: "boats are moored, some upon the mud-bank, others upon a great wooden raft that lies upon the mud. There are many shadows of sudden sun and cloud and breeze; a barge with a filling sail is traveling quickly towards the shore. The shadows are short, the light is not yet in the west, a thousand crisp little waves are on the river, and a thousand pleasant lights among the boats; a vaguely sketched figure leans against the posts of the embankment, watching some men who are overhauling a rope below."