Castleton and the Peak Cavern, Derbyshire

These two watercolours present views of Castleton and the Peak Cavern one painted by the artist John Webber (main illustration) and the other by his companion William Day during a joint expedition to the Peaks of Derbyshire which were still wild and untamed. Webber accompanied Captain Cook as official artist on his third circumnavigation of the world. Day meanwhile was a keen amateur painter and a geologist with a pronounced interest in his natural surroundings. Webber and DayÂ’s tour provides an interesting example of a two-way professional-amateur relationship. The works will be displayed alongside one another at Buxton, allowing for a comparison of the differing approaches both to painting and to the landscapes that they studied.