Interior of a Cathedral

Samuel Prout’s watercolors of picturesque views and architectural marvels of Italy, France, Germany, and Switzerland attracted a wide audience, helped inspire travel, and shaped the English perception of Continental Europe. The influential critic John Ruskin became a close friend, neighbor, and great supporter of the artist, declaring in the Art Journal in 1849 that no other artist expressed architectural detail in more "splendid accumulation" or "patient love" than Prout.