STUDY NOTES

The overall approach adopted has been to find to the earliest possible source of information, to analyse it in context and find out generally how those impressions were modified as informaion was repeated in later sources. We found inaccurate conclusions were often based on inclusion of partial data together with omission of crucial data from an original source. (The process has an analogy in the child's game of 'Chinese Whispers')

Generally, reasearch of sources show many inconsistencies.

Gaps

Some references were (are) 'missing' or unobtainable. Particularly exhibition and sale catalogues that certain organisations were unwilling to provide. Other books and documents available only to 'member organisations'. Some are just 'lost'.

Dates

There are many dating inconsistencies but taken holistically it is fairly easy to determine sequences of events even if exact dates are not ascertainable. One example was the reported timing of 'Turner's first oil'. We were able to demonstrate that Turner exhibited an oil in 1793, delivered to the exhibition around March 1793. Clearly therefore if, as it happens, a source states that Turner's first oil was painted in 1795 then the source must be stating the wrong year.

Furthermore, situations arose where a source having stated, for example, that "Turner's first oil was painted in 1795" went on to say "the following year..." the latter cannot be 1796 but must be the actual year following the first oil and thus must be 1794.

Other timings can be directly related to events; the fire at 'The Pantheon' can be dated precisely - the fire was on 14th January 1792. JMW Turner called his exhibited watercolour-drawing of it 'The Pantheon, The Morning After The Fire', and one of his sketches of it is named 'The Interior of the Ruined Oxford Street Pantheon 1792', so it is safe to assume that JMW Turner visited Oxford Street on 15th January 1792.

Patterns emerge. Sufficient data is available to put this information into a consistent sequence of events even if it is not possible to pinpoint exact dates.