Grosvenor Prints

Watching the excellent series Unbuilt Britain on BBC4 reminded us of how often unsuccessful architectural and engineering proposals are preserved in printed form. Some material covered in the series has already been highlighted on this blog (such as our printed plans for rebuilding London by Wren and Evelyn ) but here we draw attention to other unsuccessful and aborted projects: London Bridge has changed a lot since the 19th century, but it is worth remembering the spectacular design submitted by Thomas Telford when a competition to improve the bridge was held in 1799-1801. Telford's scheme was 'for a single-span cast-iron bridge of 600ft. But not enough was known about the technical factors involved and the whole project was shelved' ( The London Encyclopaedia ). We have both an overhead plan and a large perspective view of Telford's audacious design: ...Design for A Cast Iron Bridge Drawn and Aquatinted by Tho.s Malton. The Bridge Engraved by Will....

The Houghton Revisited exhibition currently taking place at Houghton Hall in Norfolk provides the opportunity to see some of Robert Walpole's collection displayed in its original setting for the first time since Walpole's famous collection was sold to Catherine the Great of Russia in 1779. Like several other famous collections, the paintings in the Houghton collection were engraved and published, in an ambitious project organized by the Georgian print world's 'Commercial Maecenas' John Boydell, with the result that even after the paintings had left for Russia, they continued to exert great influence on British artists and connoisseurs in engraved form. Here we show a selection of engravings from paintings in the Walpole collection: This full-length portrait of Robert Walpole hung in his 'blue damask bed chamber', although like several of the prints in this list it is not part of the Houghton exhibition: Sir Robert Walpole, afterwards Earl of Orford....

A selection of favourite tradecards, billheads and other promotional materials. There are several interesting things about these sort of items. One is simply the descriptions of services offered, of which these are good examples: Ladies instructed in Useful Attainments and Elegant Accomplishments [EDUCATION] Mrs Edwards, Paragon, Black Heath. Ladies instructed in the Useful Attainments and Elegant Accomplishments. General Tuition and French … [Price List] … [LONDON, ca.1830] Engraved trade card, on thick paper, with greek-key and hatchwork border. 173 x 127mm. Once mounted on an album sheet, with the old glue showing slightly through in the corners. [Ref: 5931]   £90.00   (£108.00 incl.VAT)  A Trial will convince, her Corsets are unrivalled   [CORSETS] Mrs. Salisbury, Fashionable and Elegant Corset Maker. Mrs. S. makes it her study to fit the Figure … A Trial will convince, her Corsets ar...

London has long been represented visually in a variety of ways. There are views and maps, but there is also a distinct genre of London 'types', from Woolwich to Hammersmith, some of whom we will meet in this post. Here we view some satirical looks at Londoners (while avoiding the obvious Hogarth selections). We've also thrown in a couple of scenes in specific London locations for variety. The starting point for this post was Matthew and Mary Darly's 'macaronies', which take the Georgian 'macaroni' (young grand tourists with continental affectations in dress, food etc, hence the name) and from that template derive a series of variations for a range of (often unexpected) London areas: The Woolwich Macaroni. Publish'd as the Act directs, Septr. 21 1772 by MDarly, 39, Strand. Etching, 170 x 125mm. 6¾ x 5". A man in military dress walking swiftly in profile to the right. His right hand holds a cane, his left the hilt of a sab...