Painting, 'Yarmouth Jetty' by John Crome (1768-1821), oil on canvas, circa 1810-14; 448 x 583 mm
The expanse of sky with billowing clouds, foaming waves and rich colours in this painting show the influence of the Dutch Masters. Crome's free handling of the paint, however, may mean that Yarmouth Jetty was either painted from nature or designed to appear as if it had been. He painted this scene without first applying an opaque ground colour to his support. The exposed weave of the canvas adds to the effect of wicker in the foreground baskets.
Crome depicted the jetty in good condition, after it was repaired in 1808-9. However, he left out the newly-installed handrails, perhaps for the sake of simplicity and composition. The jetty is shown teeming with people. Among them are two women in light coloured dresses, one of whom appears to be holding a parasol. The figures indicate that the jetty was also used as a promenade.; Yarmouth was a popular seaside resort as well as a fishing and mercantile centre.
