Jane Austen's World

Gentle readers, this incredible panorama was found in an attic in Rhinebeck, New York. Forgotten and neglected in a barrel, filthy, and badly torn, this painting c. 1810 revealed itself to be over eight feet long when it was unrolled. Click here to see a magnified version of the painting. The details are staggering. I even see a fire! Can you spot other details? Like cannon fire? Or is this my imagination?

London panorama, unknown artist, c. 1810

The ‘Rhinebeck’ Panorama of London, c.1810. Facsimile publication (no.125) of the London Topographical Society, 1981. Stk ++ DA 683 RF396.
 

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Posted in 19th Century England, Jane Austen's World, Regency London, Regency Period | Tagged Rhinebeck Panorama of London | 18 Comments

18 Responses

1. on October 31, 2011 at 10:18 Mira

   This is amazing! Thanks for sharing! I wonder where his vantage point was…

   
   
2. on October 31, 2011 at 10:22 Laura

   these are amazing:) x

   
   
3. on October 31, 2011 at 10:50 Janeite Deb

   Thanks for this Vic – always surprised [and pleased] to discover yet another London link! – and yes, I think that is canon fire, right in the Thames! – the magnifying cursor on the site shows it pretty clearly – good eye Vic!
   Deb

   
   
4. on October 31, 2011 at 10:50 Betsy

   It would be interesting to have an expert tell us how this was done. The Museum of London has a collection of models of the growth of London not to be missed if you go there.

   
   
5. on October 31, 2011 at 10:51 Chris

   How magnificent it must have been to see all those ships passing along!

   
   
6. on October 31, 2011 at 15:00 Jennifer

   Thank you very much for finding this. My husband is obsessed with finding bird’s eye panoramas of the cities we’ve visited. Now I need to find a print of this, but maybe only 4 feet wide.

   
   
7. on October 31, 2011 at 15:32 Tony Grant

   These type of maps are amazing. The cartographer is using his imagination to visualise London from a “birds eye,” view. St Paul’s and all churches are shown, bridges, The Tower and St Katherine’s Dock.
   The highest viewing point on the South bank would have been the tower of Southwark Cathedral. The view would have been much lower and very different from this though.

   
   
8. on October 31, 2011 at 16:58 Sally Michele Shaw

   Its amazing what people will come across. The detail is magnificent. I even got a little dizzy trying to focus on the minute stuff.

   Thanks for posting.

   
   
9. on October 31, 2011 at 17:13 Heather

   Wow, what a glimpse back in time.

   
   
10. on October 31, 2011 at 17:56 Betsy

    Tony, I thought of Southwark also but would it have been possible for the artist to have seen the view from a balloon? they had balloons then??? Still amazing how artists did these birds eye paintings!

    
    
    • on November 4, 2011 at 18:57 Kathryn Kane

      It would have been unlikely for an artist to have done such work from a hot air balloon. They needed a stable platform on which to work, which would not be the case with a hot air balloon. The baskets tended to swing on the ropes, and the balloon itself was pushed around at the whim of the air currents. A panorama artist needed complete control of the space in which he worked as he slowly recorded everything he saw.

      To make these panoramas, first the artist made large, detailed drawings of the 360-degree view, each of which was numbered. Then, back in the studio, a team would transfer the drawings, in order, to an enormous canvas, after which it would be painted, usually from top to bottom. That way, any paint drips on the lower area could be painted out as the painters worked their way down. Often, those who painted panoramas also took jobs painting theater backdrops, since the work was on a similar scale.

      Thanks for another great post, Vic! I wonder if the cannon smoke you saw was from a gun used to signal the time to the ships in the port? That might pinpoint the time of day at which the artist made the drawing of that section of the city.

      Thanks again,

      Kat

      
      
11. on October 31, 2011 at 20:12 Tony Grant

    Here is a link to The Museum of London site. It gives a little more information about the Rheinbeck Panorama. However it does not explain how the birds eye view was achieved.

    http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Explore-online/Pocket-histories/wc/world_city_4.htm

    Betsy, I’ve just checked some information about hot air ballooning. The first hot air balloon flight is recorded in Paris in 1783.

    Here is a note about ballooning in England.

    “The first attempt at ballooning in England was by Signor Vincent Lunardi who ascended from Moorfields (London) in 15 September 1784.
    Jean-Pierre Blanchard and Jeffries flew from Dover to Calais in 1785.”

    
    
12. on October 31, 2011 at 22:54 Betsy

    Isn’t this fun and enlightening… from De Vere to Signor Lunardi …it’s just impossible to stop picking up a thread and running with it…hmmm that makes sense as I am an embroidery teacher.

    
    
13. on November 1, 2011 at 13:36 AndieP

    The cannon “fire,” from the position on the two ships from which it emanates, is from signal cannon.
    The noise in a tight anchorage was such that mere hailing was not sufficient to get the word to other ships that one was getting ready to move out and was also a “universal” language in ports where ships from many countries might be anchored.
    They were also used to signal the coastal officers that a ship was ready to be inspected on arrival (to check for disease or contraband) or when leaving to check that the cargo manifest was correct.

    
    
14. on November 1, 2011 at 18:01 gio

    This is amazing! The details are really wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

    
    
15. on November 1, 2011 at 20:54 Karen Field

    AndieP, that was fascinating. I had no idea of those details of the docks in London. This whole post was most appreciated!

    
    
16. on November 2, 2011 at 17:39 Dentelline

    J’adore ces illustrations de Londres!
    Thanks for sharing!
    Have a good evening!

    
    
17. on November 4, 2011 at 20:11 chachaneenJaneen

    Wow, that is beautiful. What a treasure, THANKS FOR SHARING! :)

    
    

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