File:William Henry Hunt, Interior of Aldenham Church with Children Sitting on a Staircase, c. 1815-20.jpg

English: Ink and watercolor on paper

17 1/4 X 13 in., 44 X 33 cm.

William Henry Hunt painted a number of watercolors during visits to his patron and mentor, Dr. Thomas Monro, at his country residence at Bushey, Hertfordshire, England. Among these were exterior and interior views of the Church of St. James in Bushey itself, as well as similar images of the Church of St. John the Baptist in neighboring Aldenham. This watercolor was often identified in the 20th century as a view of Bushey Church until after it was sold in 1990. Based on the fact that Aldenham Church has rounded, Roman arches on one side of its nave and pointed, Gothic arches on the other, as seen here, the identification of the location was corrected to Aldenham Church. The very small village of Aldenham was the location of J. P. Morgan's English house in the early 20th century, as well as the site of the property donated by George Harrison in 1973 to the Hari Krishna movement..

As can clearly be seen in this painting, William Henry Hunt's earliest watercolor style was based on the drawings of the 18th century Venetian artist, Giovanni Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto, in both the nervous, irregular lines and pale brown, blue, and gray washes. Dr Thomas Monro owned a large number of Canaletto's drawings, which Hunt copied during his formative years as an artist.