The Lonely Tower

This nocturnal view shows two shepherds and a lone traveler amidst a vast and mysterious countryside. Samuel Palmer was inspired by John Milton’s poem Il Pensoro, which is narrated by a poet working in “some high lonely tow’r/Where I may oft out-watch the Bear.” The Bear refers to the constellation seen above the tower in the night sky.

Through skillful rendering, Palmer created a mystical scene in which the waning moon casts an eerie light across the etching. Although the scene was inspired by a poem, the tower is based on one that stands on Leith Hill in Surrey, England, and was visible from the studio at Palmer’s house at Mead Vale, where the artist relocated in 1862.