Harlech Castle

Samuel Palmer, known for his watercolors, landscapes, and etchings, found his way to Wales in search of a new inspiration. Here, Palmer depicts the castle on its coastal perch before an expansive and mountainous coastline. The many annotations convey Palmer’s future plans for the sketch, as he has written, “There might be added an isolated bright light on the mountain,” and suggests to himself that he might “make the open sky lighter.” The weather for which Wales is infamous is reflected in the sketch: dreary, wet, and gloomy. Ultimately the silhouetted castle presents a Romantic vision, unpopulated and at the mercy of nature.