I have a number of old maps in my collection and they usually appear as singles or pairs when I come across them. But a couple of years back I came across a bunch of them. Some 33 maps or prospects. Nineteen of these views were published by #Laurie&Whittle and of those we look at the images concerning English sites. #RobertLaurie (1755-1836) and #JamesWhittle (1757-1818) formed a partnership in 1794 to take over the publishing company of #RobertSayer. Sayer’s collection of maps and atlases and decorative prints were the foundation of the new partnership but the new owners added new material to freshen up the atlases and also printed on topical issues such as the Napoleonic Wars. Laurie was apprenticed to Sayer from 1770 to 1777. He was a talented artist as well as engraver of mezzotints. Producing portraits, scenic views and decorative works. Whittle was apprenticed to the Needlemaker’s Guild.

The five views as they appear are:

1. A View of the Royal Palace of Windsor

2. The South View of Kensington

3. A Front View of the Royal Palace of Kensington

4. A View of the Royal Palace of Hampton Court

5. The Inside View of the Royal Exchange at London

All of these prints were printed in 1794 and are hand coloured. The image size of the first four without lettering measures 9″ by 15″ while the last is 10″ by 16″.

These pieces and those we will see in future chapters are called Vue d’Optique. They were set of prints with a central theme. Their owner would travel from city to city displaying them. Charging customers to view them through the lens of a zograscope. A convex lens with a adjacent mirror to look at the print giving it more of a 3D feel. This did reverse the image so you will often find the the printing on such images is in reverse. They were meant to be handled and looked at – a couple from the ones I acquired do show it.

Beautiful prospective views. Next week we will visit the European sites.