In a Cornish Fishing Village

Langley made sketching trips to Newlyn from the early 1880s and by 1882 he had moved to Cornwall permanently. The artist's early work was greatly influenced by the Hague School, Josef Israels, and the Maris Brothers, whose work had been admired in Britain since the 1860s and which Langley had seen while studying at the South Kensington Schools. Despite not studying abroad, Langley came under the influence of Stanhope Forbes and other Newlyn painters who had the opportunity to study in France. Langley is celebrated for his studies of Cornish fishermen based in and around Newlyn, focusing on the challenging livelihoods of its inhabitants and in particular exploring the psychological impact of a way of life dependent on the sea.

This watercolour is a quintessential example of Langley’s honest and realistic depictions of Newlyn life. A young woman sews, whilst she sits with her children and her husband by the sea-front. The scene is set against fishing boats sailing out of the harbour, with their typical red canvas sails, and Newlyn village is visible to the right. The attention to detail in his depiction of the fishing tackle and earthenware pitchers, demonstrates the dedication that Langley had for accurately reproducing the daily life of the fishing community in Newlyn. This may have been due to his own working-class background, and his strong left-wing sentiments. This watercolour is comparable to A Cornish Idyll, a large oil painting, which Langley exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1902 (Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool), and which became one of his most popular subjects.