‘On the beach, Topsham’, near Exeter, by John White Abbott, about 1809. Pen and ink on paper. Topsham is located on the East bank of the Exe Estuary, South of Exeter. The drawing depicts a series of river side buildings with a ship’s hull in the centre. The Exe Estuary can be seen in the background. John White Abbott (1763-1851) was born and educated in Exeter, where he also practised as a surgeon. Through his uncle, James White, he met Francis Towne who initially gave him drawing lessons and later became a sketching companion. Although White Abbott exhibited annually at the Royal Academy between 1793 and 1805, he never gave up his profession as a surgeon. In 1771 he made an extended tour out of the West Country travelling through Derbyshire, Lancashire, and the Lake District and up to Scotland.