This view shows the land and mill owned by Constable’s father, Golding. The kitchen garden is shown in morning light and includes a view towards the rectory, where Constable’s future wife, Maria Bicknell, would stay when visiting her grandfather.

In the summer of 1815 Golding’s health was failing and Constable would stay with his father, spending time in the fields drawing and painting. Constable never exhibited or attempted to sell the two garden paintings during his lifetime. Although highly finished, these were private works, a record of the landscape that was precious to him.

A self-taught artist, art collector and prolific sketcher of Ipswich’s streets and people. Frost was born in Suffolk and from 1770s lived in Ipswich. His job was to run the coaches that went from Ipswich to London, but he had a reputation as a local artist and drawing master. Frost and his wife, Mary, lived on Brook Street close to the Coach and Horses Inn. He greatly admired the artworks by Gainsborough and had his own collection of prints and drawings by the Suffolk artist. By 1800 he had met a young John Constable, who was keen to find out about his collection of Gainsborough’s and go sketching with Frost. In 1813 Frost retired from the coaching business and moved to the Ipswich dockside area. This gave him more time to draw in pencil, charcoal and chalk or paint in watercolours. He died on 28 June 1821 and was buried in St Matthews churchyard in Ipswich.

This view of a Suffolk estuary is an early Gainsborough landscape. Landscape painting had been a great passion of the artist and in the 1760’s he wrote to a friend stating he was ‘sick of portraits’, and that he would rather take his viola da gamba off to ‘some sweet village’ where he could paint landscapes and ‘enjoy the fag end of life in quietness and ease’.

Constable greatly admired Gainsborough’s landscapes and sought out private collections of paintings and drawings belonging to Ipswich people, who had known the artist.

Johnny was Constable’s assistant and helped with several of his larger canvases. He also exhibited his own work in the Royal Academy and worked as a picture restorer. This self-portrait is a rare image of the artist, who unfortunately died at a young age.

‘I have written to Dunthorne to send me Johnny. He is not at all vulgar, and naturally very clever; but where he not, I should love him for his father’s sake.’

John Constable writing to Maria Bicknell in 1814.

'A botanist one day, or grave antiquarian,
Next morning a sempstress, or abecedarian;
Now making a frock, and now marring a picture,…
Though science and friendship are nearest my heart.'
Written by Elizabeth Cobbold to describe her varied pursuits.

Elizabeth Cobbold was a friend of the Constable family and encouraged the young John Constable in his artistic career. Elizabeth had an extensive social network and introduced Constable to Priscilla Wakefield, Quaker writer and philanthropist. Wakefield was able to provide an introduction to Joseph Farington RA, who could help Constable into the Royal Academy Schools.