Watercolour on paper
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/thomas-girtin-211" aria-label="More by Thomas Girtin" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Thomas Girtin</a>
White House at Chelsea
Bequeathed by Mrs Ada Montefiore 1933
architecture
Battersea - non-specific
boat, sailing
bridge
bridges and viaducts
Chelsea - non-specific
church
cloud
England
house
industrial
landscape
natural phenomena
places
reflection
religious
residential
River Thames
society
sunset
times of the day
transport: water
UK countries and regions
UK London
UK natural features
weather
windmill
wooded
<p>This, Girtin's most celebrated work, was much admired by Turner. According to an anecdote, 'A dealer went one day to Turner, and after looking round at all his drawings in the room, had the audacity to say, I have a drawing out there in my hackney coach, finer than any of yours. Turner bit his lip, looked first angry, then meditative. At length he broke silence: Then I tell you what it is. You have got Tom Girtin's White House at Chelsea'. The focus of the watercolour, the white house itself, is created by leaving the paper more or less unpainted. The windmill at the left was known as Red House Mill. Beyond it is the horizontal windmill at Battersea and towards the right Chelsea Parish Church.</p><p><em>Gallery label, September 2004</em></p>
paper unique watercolour
4 July 2002 – 29 September 2002
2002-09-29
4 July 2002 – 29 September 2002
2002-09-29
2002-07-04
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2002-07-04
Thomas Girtin - the Art of Watercolour
Exhibition
21 September 2009 – 19 September 2010
2010-09-19
21 September 2009 – 24 January 2010
2010-01-24
2009-09-21
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
22 February 2010 – 23 May 2010
2010-05-23
2010-02-22
Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais (Paris, France)
21 June 2010 – 19 September 2010
2010-09-19
2010-06-21
Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid, Spain)
2009-09-21
Turner and the Masters
Exhibition
22 February 2010 – 19 September 2010
2010-09-19
21 September 2009 – 3 January 2010
2010-01-03
2009-09-21
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2010-02-22
Turner and the Masters
Loan-out
16 February 2011 – 21 August 2011
2011-08-21
16 February 2011 – 21 August 2011
2011-08-21
2011-02-16
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2011-02-16
Watercolour
Exhibition
26 March 2015 – 27 May 2020
2020-05-27
26 March 2015 – 21 June 2015
2015-06-21
2015-03-26
Museo Nacional de Arte (Mexico City, Mexico)
18 July 2015 – 18 October 2015
2015-10-18
2015-07-18
Pinacoteca do Estado (São Paulo, Brazil)
27 April 2018 – 5 August 2018
2018-08-05
2018-04-27
Shanghai Art Museum (Shanghai, China)
4 September 2018 – 13 November 2018
2018-11-13
2018-09-04
National Art Museum of China (Beijing, China)
27 November 2019 – 27 May 2020
2020-05-27
2019-11-27
Hong Kong Museum of Art (Hong Kong, China)
2015-03-26
British Landscape
Tate partnerships & programmes
The White House at Chelsea
support: 298 × 514 mm
Bequeathed by Mrs Ada Montefiore 1933
<p>This, Girtin's most celebrated work, was much admired by Turner. According to an anecdote, 'A dealer went one day to Turner, and after looking round at all his <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/d/drawing" title="Glossary definition for 'Drawing'"><span>drawings</span></a> in the room, had the audacity to say, <quote>I have a drawing out there in my hackney coach, finer than any of yours.<quote> Turner bit his lip, looked first angry, then meditative. At length he broke silence: <quote>Then I tell you what it is. You have got Tom Girtin's White House at Chelsea<quote>'. The focus of the <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/w/watercolour" title="Glossary definition for 'Watercolour'"><span>watercolour</span></a>, the white house itself, is created by leaving the <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/paper" title="Glossary definition for 'Paper'"><span>paper</span></a> more or less unpainted. The windmill at the left was known as Red House Mill. Beyond it is the horizontal windmill at Battersea and towards the right Chelsea Parish Church.</quote></quote></quote></quote></p>
Display caption
2004-09-03T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
architecture Battersea - non-specific boat, sailing bridge bridges and viaducts Chelsea - non-specific church cloud England house industrial landscape natural phenomena places reflection religious residential River Thames society sunset times of the day transport: water UK countries and regions UK London UK natural features weather windmill wooded