Dresden

This is a view of Dresden, Germany. In the centre is the Frauenkirche, or Church of our Lady. Dresden was known as the 'Jewel Box' for its many beautiful baroque and rococo buildings, and Dobbin clearly relishes the elaborate architecture of this view. Many of the buildings in this watercolour would have been destroyed in the Allied bombing of Dresden in February 1945 which almost entirely flattened the city centre. The Frauenkirche remained in ruins until 1994, when a major project to rebuild it began. The newly reconstructed church was consecrated in 2005. Dobbin travelled in the Netherlands, France, Spain and Germany and specialised in architectural subjects, depicting cathedrals, churches and buildings. He exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1842 and 1875 which included some Scottish landscapes. He also exhibited regularly at the Royal Society of British Artist at Suffolk Street. Dobbin also painted areas of the north east, especially around Darlington where he was born, and painted a picture of the first railway train, which was purchased by Henry Pease of Darlington.