Elizabeth Blackadder travelled widely during her lifetime and the highlights can often be found in the pages of her sketchbooks. Whilst this sketchbook mainly features sketches of architecture from her travels, page 33 shows Elizabeth’s travel companion on this particular trip, fellow artist, and husband John Houston.
Most of Elizbeth Blackadder’s paintings began as sketches. In her own words, these sketches were unfinished and personal and were simply meant to be used as reference points for her completed works. A number of sketches in this sketchbook feature shorthand notes alongside the sketch, allowing Elizabeth to remember key elements as well as what exactly it was about the subject that had originally interested her.
