Light cumulus and stratus above a sea inlet, 1803-1811

Light cumulus and stratus above a sea inlet, 1803-1811. Blue and sepia wash cloud study by Luke Howard, showing ships boats and a larger sailing ship in the distance. Ordering and classification were important features of Enlightenment science. Fascinated since childhood by the weather, and clouds in particular, Howard classified and named different cloud types between 1803-1811. His work is believed to have influenced many of the landscape painters of the Romantic era, including Turner and Constable. Although never trained as a scientist, Howard's contribution to the developing science of meteorology led to him being made a fellow of the Royal Society in 1821. His terminology and symbols are still largely used to describe clouds today. On loan to the Science Museum from the Royal Meteorological Society. ©SSPL/Royal Meteorological Society