Road Scene, Heathersett 1812

John Crome created this etching, titled "Road Scene, Heathersett," during a period of significant social and economic change in England. Crome was a founding member of the Norwich School of painters, the first art movement created outside of London. Made in the early nineteenth century, the print depicts a tranquil rural scene. But England at this time was in the process of rapid industrialization. We see the effects of this in landscape painting, and also in literature, which became newly concerned with the natural world and folk traditions. By depicting the rural landscape, Crome’s print offers a vision of an idealised English countryside that was beginning to disappear. To understand the values placed on the image, we can look at other artworks and printed materials made at the time. Research into the history of printmaking will allow us to understand the print as part of an industry that helped shape ideas about nature and nation.