John Sell Cotman's Yorkshire subjects are widely considered to be among the finest watercolours ever painted. Some are world-famous and others well-known through exhibition and publication. Surprisingly, however, they have never been studied as a group. In this book David Hill presents the first detailed account of Cotman's tours of the north of England. Cotman was twenty-one on his first visit in 1803. The Cholmeley family of Brandsby Hall near York promptly engaged him as drawing master and through them he was introduced to a wide circle of Yorkshire patrons. He returned to the north in 1804 and 1805, and, in a series of works including the famous Greta Bridge, he achieved a state of perfection in the art of watercolour that has rarely if ever been surpassed. Every major painting, related studies, and the author's own photographs of the locations in which Cotman worked will be included in this beautiful book, as well as a wealth of new documentary evidence of his time with the Cholmeleys. It accompanies an exhibition to be held at the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, May-July 2005, and at Harewood House, August-October 2005.