Dieppe – The Artists – Cotman, John Sell – Travel Information and Tips for France

This page forms part of a series of pages dedicated to the many artists who painted in Dieppe. A full list of all the artists with a link to their works can be found at the bottom of this page.

John Sell Cotman (1782 – 1842) was an English marine and landscape painter, etcher, illustrator, author and a leading member of the Norwich School of painters.

Born in Norwich, the son of a silk merchant and lace dealer, Cotman was educated at the Norwich Grammar School. He showed an early talent for art. It was intended that he followed his father into the family business but, intent on a career in art, he moved to London in 1798, where he met artists such as J. M. W. Turner, Peter de Wint and Thomas Girtin, whose sketching club he joined, and whom he travelled with to Wales and Surrey.

His sons Miles Edmund and John Joseph Cotman became notable painters in their own right.

In January 1834, Cotman was appointed Master of Landscape Drawing at King’s College School in London, partly on the recommendation of J. M. W. Turner. In 1836, his son Miles Edmund Cotman was appointed to assist him.

In 1834 his eldest son Miles Edmund remained in Norwich to work as an art teacher, when the rest of the Cotman family moved to London upon the appointment of John Sell Cotman as a Professor of Drawing at King’s College. A year after his move to London, Mile Edmund himself moved to London, becoming his father’s assistant after his brother John Joseph moved back to Norwich. His sons Miles Edmund and John Joseph Cotman later became painters of note. Miles Edmund succeeded his father as drawing master at King’s College in 1843.

Click here to read Cotman’s full bio on Wikipedia.

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NOTE: A blackbox like this one, means that there is an explanation text about today’s situation of the painting above it.
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1817 - John Sell Cotman - The-Chateau of Dieppe and the Prison, Normandy, seen from the beach — 1817 – John Sell Cotman – The-Chateau of Dieppe and the Prison, Normandy, seen from the beach

TODAY: The Dieppe Castle is the most visible building in Dieppe since it is perched up high on the cliffs overlooking the city.

1819 - John Sell Cotman - East End of Saint-Jacques at Dieppe, Normandy — 1819 – John Sell Cotman – East End of Saint-Jacques at Dieppe, Normandy

TODAY: The Saint-Jacques church, built in the 12th century, still exists and can be visited.

1822 - John Sell Cotman - Church of St-Jacques, at Dieppe. West Front — 1822 – John Sell Cotman – Church of St-Jacques, at Dieppe. West Front

Aumale

Aumale is a small town East of Dieppe.

John Cotman painted in several places in France (a link “⇠” to his works in a specific city will appear below when published) :

Hauts-de-France
- Peronne
Normandy
- Alencon
- Avranches
- Bayeux ⇠
- Caen (and surroundings) ⇠
  - Douvres-la-Delivrande ⇠
  - Fontaine-Henri ⇠
  - Hermanville-sur-Mer ⇠
  - Ifs ⇠
  - Ouistreham ⇠
- Cherbourg (and surroundings) ⇠
  - Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue ⇠
  - Valognes ⇠
- Dieppe (and surroundings)⇠
  - Aumale ⇠
- Domfront
- Evreux
- Falaise
- Fecamp ⇠
- Les Andelys
- Liseux
- Le Havre (and surroundings) ⇠
  - Lillebonne ⇠
- Mont Saint-Michel
- Mortain-Bocage
- Pont-de-l’Arche
- Rouen
- Saint Lo
- Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville

Dieppe in Normandy was a popular place for artists to come and apply their art. Here is a list, non exhaustive, of the artists that painted in Dieppe.

A link (“⇠”) to the artist’s works will appear when published (a “*” indicates that the artist did not work directly in Dieppe, instead worked in nearby villages):

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John Cotman, a British painter, was quite active in Normandy. He spent a lot of time painting in Caen and Ouistreham (suburb of Caen). Here are some of his paintings.
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