Langham, South Wales 

David Cox made this pencil drawing, Langham, South Wales, at an unknown date. Cox was a landscape painter, working at a time when the urban-dwelling British were developing an intense interest in the countryside. The image is composed of only a few lines. Two people on horseback make their way across an open, flat area, toward a bay in which a few small boats are anchored. In the distance, a ridge rises. The scene is quiet and still, but we can sense the potential for inclement weather. Cox lived through a period of rapid industrialization, and his landscapes offer a glimpse into a world that was already passing away. His paintings can be seen as a commentary on the changing social structures of his time. They critique the institutions of industrialization by representing an alternate vision of the natural world. As art historians, we can better understand Cox’s work by researching the social and economic conditions of 19th-century Britain.