1715 / 1724 Johannes Kip Panorama of Westminster, United Kingdom

This beautiful, meticulously detailed 1724 panorama of West London was produced by Dutch engravers Johannes Kip and Leonard Knyff for inclusion in Britannia Illustrata. It is one of the grandest views of West London obtainable.

A Closer Look

The engraving presents a panorama of Westminster, seen from the south bank of the River Thames. The view captures Westminster as a flourishing, cosmopolitan city. Key structures are numbered and identified in the printed legend below the view. In the background, the hills of Kensington, Hempstead, and Highgate are labeled. The Thames teems with the small boats characteristic of the river traffic upriver from London Bridge. The image pre-dates the construction of Westminster Bridge by about 20 years. Westminster Abbey, the Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden, and many other landmarks appear and are keyed to the legend: the skyline of the city is dominated mostly by church spires.

A Monument of British Engraving

This work appeared in Kip's five-volume Nouveau Théâtre de la Grande Bretagne, a production reflecting the burgeoning British print market. The bilingual titles of the view - French and English - show the publishers' intentions to sell not only in England but also on the Continent.

Publication History and Census

This scarce panorama, engraved on two joined sheets, was drafted by Johannes Kip and probably engraved by Joseph Smith for inclusion in Kip's Britannia illustrata. That work, published initially by David Mortier, passed to Smith in 1724. At some point between 1720 and 1724, Smith added his imprint to the lower cartouche, distinguishing this example as the second of 2 states. While it does appear on the market from time to time, we see the separate sheet listed by only 2 institutions in OCLC: the Bibliothèque National de France, and the British Library.