Hay Wain
John Constable, one of Britain's most celebrated artists, finished painting The Hay Wain in 1821.
This image is so popular today that it was voted the second greatest painting in Britain in a 2005 poll - it came second to Turner's The Fighting Temeraire. It is almost unbelievable to think that when it was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1821, it failed to find a buyer. In 1824 the painting was exhibited in Paris, along with more of Constable's works, where it was much more highly regarded.
The stamp below, showing The Hay Wain, was issued in August 1968 as part of the British Paintings set of stamps.





