Joseph Mallord William Turner

Honfleur – The Artists – Turner, William

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

William (JMW) Turner
William (JMW) Turner

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 – 1851) known as William Turner, was an English artist of the Romantic movement. He was a painter, printmaker and a watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colourisations, imaginative landscapes and turbulent, often violent marine paintings.

As a child prodigy he went to art school in London at the age of 14. Although he lived all his live in London, he travelled extensively in Europe, particularly the Normandy area.

Intensely private, eccentric and reclusive, Turner was a controversial figure throughout his career. He did not marry, but fathered two daughters, Eveline (1801–1874) and Georgiana (1811–1843), by his housekeeper Sarah Danby. He became more pessimistic and morose as he got older, especially after the death of his father, after which his outlook deteriorated, his gallery fell into disrepair and neglect, and his art intensified. In 1841 Turner rowed a boat into the Thames so he could not be counted as present at any property.

He lived in squalor and poor health from 1845, and died in London in 1851 aged 76. Turner is buried in Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London.

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

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NOTE: A black box like this one, means that there is an explanation text about today’s situation of the painting above it.
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1832 - Joseph Mallord William Turner - Honfleur, Normandy from the East
1832 – Joseph Mallord William Turner – Honfleur, Normandy from the East
1832 - Joseph Mallord William Turner - Honfleur, Normandy from the West
1832 – Joseph Mallord William Turner – Honfleur, Normandy from the West
1832 - Joseph Mallord William Turner - Honfleur, Normandy from the West
1832 – Joseph Mallord William Turner – Honfleur, Normandy from the West
1832 - Joseph Mallord William Turner - Honfleur, Normandy from the West
1832 – Joseph Mallord William Turner – Honfleur, Normandy from the West
1832 - Joseph Mallord William Turner - Honfleur
1832 – Joseph Mallord William Turner – Honfleur
1832 - Joseph Mallord William Turner - The Lieutenancy Building and Church of Sainte Catherine at Honfleur, Normandy
1832 – Joseph Mallord William Turner – The Lieutenancy Building and Church of Sainte Catherine at Honfleur, Normandy

TODAY: The Lieutenance (Harbor Master) still exists today. The construction of this fortified structure started in the 14th century.

1832 - Joseph Mallord William Turner - The Lieutenancy Building and Church of Sainte Catherine at Honfleur, Normandy
1832 – Joseph Mallord William Turner – The Lieutenancy Building and Church of Sainte Catherine at Honfleur, Normandy
1832 - Joseph Mallord William Turner - The Lieutenancy Building at Honfleur, Normandy
1832 – Joseph Mallord William Turner – The Lieutenancy Building at Honfleur, Normandy

William Turner painted in the following other places in France (but mostly in Normandy), which will be featured eventually on this site. A link “” to those cities will appear below when published.

Honfleur was (and is) a very picturesque town, so it saw many artists capturing the beauty of this very scenic town. The reason it has so many tourists is obvious…. it’s very pretty. Here are some of the artists that have come to apply their art in the town (a link, symbolized by a ““, to the artist’s works will appear when published. A “*” indicates that the artist did not work directly in Honfleur but instead worked outside of Honfleur in a nearby town).

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Today: The Lieutenancy
Today: The Lieutenancy
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