Constable was, with Turner, the major English landscape painter of the 19th century and is still one of the best-known and most popular English artists of all time. Although Constable’s influence was international he never left Britain and preferred to paint his beloved Suffolk countryside above anything else. This painting is actually an oil sketch, probably painted on the spot and perhaps intended to be the preparatory work for a larger painting that would be painted in the studio. Although we do not know if Constable ever based a full-size painting upon this sketch, elements contained in it may well have been used. Early works such as the Beecroft picture are rare; this is the only dated picture known between 1802 and 1806. Constable first exhibited in 1802 and did not achieve acclaim until about 1819 when he was elected RA.