This sumptuous visual history explores London as depicted by
artists over the last few hundred years. Although the first city
of London was established in the Roman period, the story of
London in art really begins in the 17th century, with the rise of
the panoramic city view as a painting genre, and continues to
this day.
Organized around eight areas or districts, the chapters move
roughly from west to east across London, as does the River
Thames, which acts as the city's spine. Within each area, works
of art are grouped around specific locations or monuments,
providing a glimpse of the city's changing and unchanging
topography through the ages.