A General View of London and Westminster

Samuel and Nathaniel Buck travelled the British Isles making drawings, or 'prospects', of major towns, cities and archaeological sites, which were then published as engravings in London. Their drawing of Westminster and the City of London, made up of five sheets, was first printed in 1749. However, this particular print is a re-issue, published 1777. It has been updated to include major new features such as Blackfriars Bridge and the widened London Bridge, which has also had the houses removed.

Although the brothers have flattened the perspective - the meanders of the Thames have been straightened, for instance - the print is, nevertheless, astonishing in its accuracy. Comparison shows the image fits consistently with mid 18th century maps.

This print is particularly well travelled. The person who gave it to the museum found it in what he called a 'junk' shop in Hyderabad, India. The print is covered with Persian inscriptions but the words used show that the writer came from India. One of these handwritten notes even provides a date: 1194, or 1780-81 in the Christian calendar. Persian was the language of the Indian courts at that time.

The print has been enlivened with watercolour washes. It was not uncommon for engravings to be hand-coloured at this time.