In 1836-38 Fearnley visited England, from where his grandfather had emigrated to Norway. He spent time in London, where he exhibited at the Royal Academy, and in the Lake District, where he painted this atmospheric picture. His inscription records the date as well as the location, Derwentwater, praised in a contemporary guide book for its ‘high sublimity’. A keen fisherman himself, Fearnley included a figure carrying his catch and rod.