Bridge at Blenheim Palace (recto); York Cathedral (verso)

A skilled amateur watercolorist, Cornish worked as an attorney in Exeter before going to India as private secretary to his brother-in-law, Governor General Sir John Shore. While based in Calcutta, between 1793 and 1798, Cornish painted Bengali landscapes and the residences of British officials. This sheet likely was made the decade after he returned to England. One side represents the Grand Bridge at Blenheim, Oxfordshire, erected to designs by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1710. Supporting the main approach to the palace, the structure's height was later reduced by Lancelot “Capability” Brown when he dammed the River Glyme to create a lake below the bridge. On the verso, Cornish depicts York Minster, one of the largest Gothic structures in Europe, with more recent structures built along the River Ouse in the foreground.