Roseland Cottage

Wells’ Watercolor

This watercolor, done around the time the house was built in 1846, is thought to be by the building’s architect, Joseph Wells. Even though it’s faded over time it’s clear that Wells envisioned the house a more subdued color than the pink Bowen insisted upon. The Gothic style’s key proponent Andrew Jackson Downing advocated painting houses “a cheerful, mellow hue harmonizing with the verdure of the country,” and suggested in particular the use of shades of gray or fawn.