Study for Boulter’s Lock, Sunday Afternoon
This painting of Boulter’s Lock, near Maidenhead, is a study for the finished painting, which is on display at the Lady Lever Gallery, near Liverpool. Gregory began the work in 1882 but it was not finished and exhibited until 1897. He produced over seventy studies for the painting, including this one, as he struggled with the composition and details of a complex scene. Boating on the Thames was a very popular late Victorian and Edwardian pastime. On just one Sunday in 1888 around 900 boats passed through Boulter’s Lock. His painting of Boulter’s Lock ensured his election as a Royal Academician in 1898.
