View of Windsor from the River

Alfred Gomersal Vickers · 19th century

Today’s fans of Royal gossip will immediately recognize this as Windsor Castle and may think of it as a marvelous example of Gothic fortification. However, when Alfred Vickers painted this watercolor, the castle was a recently rebuilt and expanded fantasyland ordered by King George IV from architect Jeffry Wyatville. The large round tower and many of the subsidiary towers were heightened. Whether it was a restoration or a ruination is a matter of opinion. In any case, the project ran more than 200% over budget. Alfred Vickers specialized in painting landscapes. In the mid-1830s, his career was on the upswing, but he died at age 26. Neither the artist nor the King survived to see the Windsor project completed.