• Title : Vue du Palias Royal Somerset du cote de la Thamise
• Ref  :  26261
• Size: 16in x 9 1/2in (405mm x 240mm)
• Date : 1756
• Condition: (B) Good Condition

Description:
This hand coloured original antique print, a view of the old Somerset House, prior to the late 18th century refurbishment, on the River Thames, London was published as part of the Vues d’Optique in 1760.

Somerset House is a large Neoclassical building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The building, originally the site of a Tudor Palace was designed by Sir William Chambers in 1776, and further extended with Victorian wings to the east and west in 1831 and 1856 respectively. The East Wing forms part of the adjacent Strand campus of King's College London

Vues d'Optique or Perspective Views: Perspective views, or "vues d'optique," are a special type of popular print published in Europe during the 18th century. These prints provided a form of entertainment when viewed through a device called an "optical machine" or an "optique." The most characteristic feature of the perspective views is their emphasized linear perspective, done to further intensify the enhanced appearance of depth and illusionistic space in the prints when viewed through an optique. When displayed in the optique, the prints might transport the viewer into a far away place---an unknown city, or perhaps into the midst of a dramatic bit of contemporary history. Another attribute of these prints is their bright, often heavy hand coloring, applied boldly so as to show the tints when viewed through the lens. 
A number of perspective prints depicted American scenes at the time of the Revolution for a European audience hungry for news of the events in the British colonies. As documents of American history and European printmaking, these are unusual and appealing eighteenth-century prints. (Ref: M&B; Tooley)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy & stable
Paper color: - White
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Blue, yellow, green, red
General color appearance: - Authentic & bright
Paper size: - 16in x 9 1/2in (405mm x 240mm)
Plate size: - 16in x 9 1/2in (405mm x 240mm)
Margins: - Min 0in (0mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Left margin cropped to image edge
Plate area: - Soiling and creasing the bottom left edge
Verso: - Soiling