In 2015 I was introduced by my colleague Valerie Greiner to Francita Stuart Koelsch Ulmer. On that occasion, I saw for the first time the oil sketches by John Constable and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot that Francita had inherited from her grandmother and heard the story about the Thomas Gainsborough drawing that she and her mother had funded for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in 1996 under my predecessor, Barry Walker, the first curator of prints and drawings at this institution. Francita expressed to me her longtime wish of building a collection of British landscapes for the Museum in Houston. Knowing the small collection of British works on paper in our collection thus far, I commented, “Well, we can work on that idea together starting now, if you like.” Over the past ten years, we have looked through countless books, including exhibition, collection, auction, and dealer catalogues, and have traveled to Great Britain several times independently and together for this project. I wish to thank Francita for her passion and dedication, as well as her friendship. It has been a pleasure developing her dream from her initial idea into a remarkable collection that will continue to be built upon long into the future. In this endeavor, my immense gratitude extends to the British art specialist, scholar, and dealer Jonny Yarker. I remember the time, in 2014, that I cautioned him on needing less than a morning to see the few British drawings the Museum owned on his visit to Houston. Jonny has accompanied Francita and me on this journey from its onset and has made many trips to Houston to review the Stuart Collection with us almost every year as it progressed. He has always been happy to discuss its direction with enthusiasm, giving sage and spirited advice, and has written several catalogue entries and reviewed the entire catalogue. In addition, he has found significant acquisitions to enhance the collection as a whole. Francita and I also treasure the friendship with Jonny that has evolved from our many experiences together and thank him for his tireless backing of this project. My appreciation extends to Lowell Libson and Jonny Yarker Ltd for their support of the publication.

I would also like to express my sincere thanks to Gary Tinterow, Director and the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, and the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, for their leadership and support in the development of this collection and its related exhibition and catalogue. The members of the prints and drawings subcommittee have been constant, committed allies in this undertaking, and I thank them for their encouragement as I brought before them one acquisition after another to our meetings over the years.

Several British scholars enriched the catalogue with their expertise, and I thank Anne Lyles, Martin Postle, Kim Sloan, Richard Stephens, Ian Warrell, and Jonny Yarker for their beautifully written catalogue entries. I also appreciate the efforts of Craig S. Calvert, a gifted geologist who has devoted many years volunteering his time to research in the department of prints and drawings. Craig’s insightful analysis of the locations of the landscapes in this collection, primarily using Google Earth Studio imagery, has led to pinpointing exact locations and other exciting discoveries, thereby enhancing the study of these drawings. Tina Tan, conservator of works on paper at the Museum, has spent tireless hours reviewing each work, and I appreciate all of her discerning observations on the various artistic techniques, materials, and papers of the drawings and prints in the Stuart Collection. I also thank Julia Smith, who succeeded Valerie Greiner in the Museum’s development office, for her grace, patience, attention to details, and overall good spirit throughout this project.

The Museum’s publisher in chief, Heather Brand, has been immensely supportive, and I thank her for her excellent editing skills as well as for keeping me on track throughout the writing and editing of this publication in both its printed and online formats. I also appreciate the editorial assistance provided by Megan Smith, managing editor, and the elegant design of the catalogue by Phenon Finley-Smiley, manager of graphics. Insights offered by curator Kaylin Weber, curatorial assistant Melinda Narro, and Jonny Yarker were most welcomed in reviewing the catalogue.

I am especially indebted to my colleagues in the prints and drawings department, each of whom has had an essential role in the realization of the exhibition and catalogue. Madison Murphy, administrative assistant, and Melinda Narro handled all of the image rights for the catalogue, and Jason Dibley, collections manager, carefully managed and organized the collection.

Many other dedicated Museum colleagues across numerous departments have given their time and expertise for the exhibition’s and catalogue’s realization, including Jon Evans, Rebekah Scoggins, Emma Jackson, and Marie Wise in Hirsch Library and Archives; Kaylin Weber, Christine Gervais, Misty Flores, Alice Chambers, David Bomford, Helga K. Aurisch, Ann Dumas, Malcolm Daniel, and Lisa Volpe in curatorial; Kim Pashko, Rachel Robinson, Sarah Garrett, and Flora Schaeffer in registration; Per Knutås, Stephen Hanley, Soraya Alcala, and Maite Leal in conservation, with particular thanks to Patrick Turk and Katie Patzke for their admirable skills in matting and framing; Marty Stein, Cynthia Odell, Chad Redmon, Stephen Hanley, Will Michels, Ramon Perez, Thomas R. DuBrock, Matthew Golden, Albert Sanchez, and Tom Jenkins in photographic and imaging services; Bill Cochrane, Lucian Salajan, and Alfonso Cipriano in exhibition design and production; Roger Vasquez, engineering and facilities; Dale Benson, Chris Huron, and the entire preparations team; Kem Schultz and Radu Runcanu in publications and graphics; Caroline Goeser, Callie Storie, and Graciela Martinez in learning and interpretation; Amy Purvis in development; Eric Anyah in investments and finance; and Deborah Roldán and Julya Lizarralde in exhibitions.

This project benefitted from the expertise and connoisseurship of many people, and I appreciate the conversations I had about British art with various members of the art trade, including Lowell Libson, Cressida St Aubyn, Andrew Clayton-Payne, Guy Peppiatt, Stephen Ongpin, James Mackinnon, Thomas Williams, Nicholas Stogdon, Susan Schulman, Carolyn Bullard, Armin Kunz, Henry Gerrish, Jennifer Wright, Harriet Drummond, and Mark Griffith-Jones, and with art museum curators, including Scott Wilcox, Hugo Chapman, Connie McPhee, Ian Kennedy, and Sonia Del Re.

The continual interest and encouragement of family, friends, and colleagues can never be sufficiently recognized. I would like to add my gratefulness to certain friends who trekked to some of the locations depicted in the Stuart Collection. Andy Weaver and Lucinda Cobley hiked in North England and Wales, notably to Cynwyd waterfall; my sister G. Carole Woodall went with me to Kent; and Skip Fowler, Francesca Leoni, and David Farrer traversed the countryside with me in Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds, and together we spent a lovely day at Stowe in Buckinghamshire. I hope that the artistic evocations of the natural world in the Stuart Collection inspire others to wander in familiar and lesser-known terrains.

Dena M. Woodall

Curator, Prints and Drawings

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston