A Singular Rock in Dove-Dale named the Pickerell 1789

William Day made this watercolor of ‘A Singular Rock in Dove-Dale named the Pickerell’ at the turn of the 19th century. This image is exemplary of the Picturesque aesthetic, a visual culture that combined the sublime with the beautiful, and which reflected broader social changes in Britain at that time. The rise of the Picturesque coincided with the expansion of a leisure class, eager to display its knowledge of refined taste by visiting scenic locations. Tourism became something of a craze, especially in areas like Dove-Dale, and this print is very much a commercial product designed to appeal to that market. It uses watercolor, a medium widely practiced by amateur artists, and it employs specific visual codes that were associated with the Picturesque, such as carefully calculated compositions that offer the viewer a pleasurable, yet controlled experience of nature. The historian can consult travel guides and printed tours from this period, to better understand the social meanings attached to this kind of scenery, and how they were consumed.