Old Sarum 1834

John Constable created this watercolor of Old Sarum, a historically significant yet then-desolate site, to capture more than just a landscape. Constable lived during a time of significant social and political change in England, as industrialization and urbanization were rapidly transforming the landscape and social structures. His choice to depict Old Sarum is not incidental; it reflects a deep engagement with themes of history, power, and decay. The site itself, once a thriving Iron Age fort and medieval city, had dwindled to virtually nothing by the 19th century. A so-called "rotten borough" with very few residents, it still retained the right to elect Members of Parliament, highlighting the corruption and unequal representation prevalent in British politics at the time. Constable's moody skies and the lone shepherd underscore the scene’s sense of isolation and perhaps a lament for a lost, more equitable past. In his own words, Old Sarum is about "the grandest subjects in landscape, that of light and dark, and the effect of one being lost in the other." Here, the personal and political are intertwined.