Editing John Sell Cotman (section)

===Normandy tours===
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In 1817, 1818, and 1820, whilst Cotman was living in Great Yarmouth, he visited [[Normandy]] to make drawings of the landscape and buildings of the region.{{sfn|Walpole|1997|p=83}} The three tours are well documented, as Cotman wrote letters about his travels to his wife, and to Dawson Turner, who made extensive use of them in ''A Tour of Normandy'' (1820). The idea for Cotman to tour Normandy came from his friend [[Dawson Turner]], who had visited the region in September 1815 with the British artist [[Thomas Phillips]] to view the works of art taken to Paris by [[Napoleon]].{{sfn|Moore|1982|p=75}}

Cotman went first to London, where he purchased a ''[[camera lucida]]'' from Sir [[Henry Englefield]], and viewed the newly-installed [[Elgin Marbles]] at the [[British Museum]]. The ''[[camera lucida]]'' was used for all three of Cotman's tours, but he seems to have struggled to use it to depict buildings accurately:{{sfn|Moore|1982|p=75}}

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|text=I was a week drawing the front [of Rouen Cathedral] with a ''camera lucida'',... but not knowing how to use it, I so misused it that I am afraid my labour is entirely lost, from getting different focuses.
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Cotman sailed from [[Brighton]] to [[Dieppe]] on 18 July, and began exploring the area around Dieppe the following day.{{sfn|Moore|1982|p=75}} His first trip to Normandy lasted over five weeks. He described his accommodation during this trip as being of poor quality,{{sfn|Walpole|1997|p=83}} and that the local population were openly hostile towards him.{{sfn|Moore|1982|p=77}} From the drawings he produced in Normandy he is apparent that he  took sketch books and drawing equipment, but no painting materials.{{sfn|Moore|1982|p=75}}

The second trip took place the following year, and lasted seven weeks.{{sfn|Moore|1982|p=76}} During this trip Cotman was joined by Dawson Turner and his daughters, which made the time abroad more pleasant for them all.{{sfn|Walpole|1997|pp=84{{ndash}}85}} The third trip to Normandy in 1820 saw Cotman travelling to the southernmost part of the region, which captivated him.{{sfn|Moore|1985|p=68}} It allowed him to explore more of the countryside than he had done in previous years.{{sfn|Walpole|1997|p=85}} An injury to his leg forced him to spend time recuperating in [[Caen]].{{sfn|Walpole|1997|p=86}}

Upon returning home to Great Yarmouth, Cotman worked tirelessly to produce the etchings needed for Dawson Turner's ''Architectural Antiquities of Normandy'', which was published in 1822. The project enhanced the artist's reputation,{{sfn|Walpole|1997|p=86}} and he became as famous as he was ever to become during his lifetime.{{sfn|Moore|1985|p=68}} Two years later Dawson Turner published Cotman's 100 etchings based on his sketches, with notes produced from Cotman's letters.{{sfn|Walpole|1997|p=83}}

<gallery mode=packed heights=<!-- 150px --> style="text-align:left">
File:John Sell Cotman - The Church of St. John, Peronne (Somme) - Google Art Project.jpg|''The Church of St. John, Peronne (Somme)'' (undated), [[Yale Center for British Art]]|alt= Normandy scene by Cotman
File:John Sell Cotman - A Castle in Normandy - 1929.550 - Cleveland Museum of Art.jpg|''A Castle in Normandy'' (undated), [[Cleveland Museum of Art]]|alt=Normandy scene by Cotman
File:John Sell Cotman - Abbey Church at Fecamp, Normandy - Google Art Project.jpg|''Abbey Church at Fecamp, Normandy'' ({{circa|1818}}), Yale Center for British Art|alt=Normandy scene by Cotman
File:John Sell Cotman - Caverns Excavated in the Rock within the Castle of Chateau Gaillard, near Andelys, Normandy - Google Art Project.jpg|''Caverns Excavated in the Rock within the Castle of Chateau Gaillard, near Andelys, Normandy'' (1822), Yale Center for British Art|alt=Normandy scene by Cotman
File:John Sell Cotman - Notre Dame sur l'Eau, Domfront, Normandy - Google Art Project.jpg|''Notre Dame sur l'Eau, Domfront, Normandy'' ({{circa|1820}}), Yale Center for British Art|alt=Normandy scene by Cotman
File:John Sell Cotman - Elevation of the Church of Columbiers, near Valognes, Normandy - Google Art Project.jpg|''Elevation of the Church of Columbiers, near Valognes, Normandy'' (1818), Yale Center for British Art|alt=Normandy scene by Cotman
</gallery>