European Drawings

The European drawings collection includes works by Old Masters, as well as French and Italian artists of the 17th and 18th centuries. The largest portion of this collection by far comprises British drawings from the 17th through the 19th centuries. Especially strong in works of the 18th and 19th centuries, this group includes drawings by the acknowledged masters of the medium, such as Thomas Gainsborough, John Constable, and J.M.W. Turner, as well as examples by artists associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, such as Edward Burne-Jones, and early twentieth-century artists such as Walter Sickert and Duncan Grant. The collection also includes a significant archive of designs by artists working for William Morris & Co. representing all aspects of the firm's output, comprising working designs for tapestries, textiles, wallpapers, and stained glass windows.