Recording Britain was an artistic documentary project sponsored by the
British government in the late 1930s as the country faced the
potentially devastating impact of a second world war. The resulting
collection of more than 1,500 watercolors and drawings, by both
well-known and amateur artists, is a rich visual record of buildings,
landscapes, and livelihoods perceived to be under threat. Recording
Britain brings together highlights from this extraordinary collection
at the V&A, vivid images of national and regional identity that often
portray an idealized account of the country for which its audience, at
the time, was fighting. The pictures are discussed in relation to
contemporary British artists and photographers such as John Virtue,
Conrad Atkinson, Richard Long, and Laura Oldfield Ford, whose work also
reflects on a sense of place.