- Museum number
- 1855,0214.23
- Description
-
Westminster and Lambeth, Section III of Girtin's panorama of London 'Eidometropolis'; on the Surrey shore, the houses of Lambeth in foreground with fields beyond, and Lambeth Palace, windmills and Surrey Hills in distance, in the distance on the Middlesex shore St John the Evangelist, Westminster Abbey and Bridge. 1800-01
Watercolour
- Production date
- 1800-1801
- Dimensions
-
Height: 293 millimetres
-
Width: 526 millimetres
- Curator's comments
- Section 3 - Westminster and Lambeth
The buildings visible in this section of the panorama are all on the skyline: the four turrets of St John the Evangelist by Thomas Archer in the centre, with Lambeth Palace to the left and Westminster Bridge, Westminster Hall and Westminster Abbey to the right.
Smoke coming from the foreground chimneys is used to give greater depth and variety to the low cluster of buildings. The light reflecting off the roofs of the new terrace of houses in Stamford Street in the middle ground accentuates the transformations taking place in this part of the city, as well as providing a strong spatial marker in an expanse otherwise lacking in obvious landmarks.
The sheet lacks some of the information on the related outline drawing (1991,1109.15), especially to the left and along the lower edge; it is possible that it was damaged in the workshop and later trimmed.
For a history of Girtin's panorama, see 1855,0214.24. See also 1855,0214.23-28 and a related etching,1863,0110.98
The most recent full discussion of the panorama is Greg Smith,' A 'connoisseur's panorama' : Thomas Girtin's Eidometropolis and other London views, c. 1796-1802', edited by Sheila O'Connell, London Topographical Society, No. 180, 2018
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
1934 BM, 'Exhibition of English Art', no.351
1958 Apr, BM, Eight centuries of landscape ... water-colours, Section 62
1965 Jun-Jul, Vienna, Albertina, 'Englische Aquarelle des 18 jh', no.51
1965, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, De engelse Aquarel ..., no.51
1975 Jan-Feb, Manchester,Whitworth AG, Thomas Girtin, no.25
1975 Mar-Apr, V&A, Thomas Girtin, no. 25
1984, BM, Master Drawings & Watercolours, no. 178
1985, BM, British Landscape Watercolours 1600-1860, no.82a
1987/8 Oct-Jan, New York Public Library, 'Wordsworth', (no cat.)
1988/9 Nov-Jan, London, London, Barbican, 'Panoramania!', no. 34
1992 Jun-Nov, Essen, Villa Hugel, 'London 1800-38', no. 230
2002 July-Sep, London, Tate Britain, Thomas Girtin
2007 Mar-June, Beijing, Palace Museum, Britain meets the World
- Acquisition date
- 1855
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1855,0214.23
