For three years from 1794 Turner spent winter evenings drawing at the home of Dr Thomas Monro (1759–1833). A physician and amateur artist, Monro had an informal ‘academy’, where he employed young artists to study and copy drawings in his collection. This watercolour shows the town of Rye in East Sussex, viewed from the south-east along the River Tillingham. It may have been developed from a sketch by Monro’s neighbour, John Henderson (1764–1843), who lent ‘his outlines for this purpose’. Turner worked alongside fellow artist Thomas Girtin (1775–1802), often collaborating.