Only four etchings by Constable have been identified. None is firmly dated and they were never formally published. It is known that in 1797 Constable obtained instructions on how to etch from J.T. Smith, engraver and future Keeper of Prints at the British Museum. At this date Constable also supplied Smith with drawings of cottages in the hope that he would use them in Remarks on Rural Scenery with Twenty Etchings of Cottages from Nature, a source book for painters. None was used but it is possible that Constable etched one of the subjects himself at this time although his etchings are more often dated to later in his life.