Study Related to ‘Two Women and a Letter’
- Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner
- Date: c.1827–30
- Medium: Graphite on paper
- Dimensions: support: 159 x 201 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Study Related to Two Women and a Letter” by Joseph Mallord William Turner, a graphite on paper sketch from around 1827–30. The piece measures just 159 × 201 mm, a modest size that lets the viewer feel the intimacy of the moment Turner captured. It was drawn as a preparatory study for his larger oil painting “Two Women and a Letter,” which shows a relaxed conversation between two women in a country house setting. In the sketch, the figures are rendered with expressive strokes that hint at their relaxed posture and the gentle play of light across their faces. Turner’s careful rendering of hair and a simple necklace shows his keen eye for detail even in studies. The background suggests a Sussex country house, hinting at the location of Petworth House, a favourite subject of his. Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest in 1856, this work gives us a glimpse into the creative process of one of Britain’s most celebrated landscape and portrait artists.
See it in person
Study Related to ‘Two Women and a Letter’ is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
