View of Black Fryer Bridge

Joseph Farington

View of Black Fryer Bridge

1795

Aquatint Engraving

This aquatint engraving, from Somerset Place, was drawn by Joseph Farington and engraved by Joseph Constantine Stadler for An History of the River Thames, published by John and Josiah Boydell in 1795. The composition presents a sweeping view of the River Thames from the terrace of Somerset House, looking east toward the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the skyline of the City of London. View of Black Fryer Bridge (now spelled Blackfriars Bridge) dominates the foreground, while boats animate the river below, capturing the commercial vitality and urban grandeur of late eighteenth-century London. Executed in the aquatint medium, the print combines topographical accuracy with atmospheric effects, preserving a detailed record of the city before the extensive redevelopment of the nineteenth century altered its appearance.

Joseph Farington (1747–1821) was a prominent English landscape painter, diarist, and member of the Royal Academy, while Joseph Constantine Stadler (1747–1822) was a German-born engraver renowned for his mastery of aquatint. Their collaboration formed part of An History of the River Thames, a lavishly illustrated publication featuring seventy-six hand-colored plates that traced the river's course from its rural source to the heart of London. Today, the work is regarded as one of the most important visual records of Georgian England, documenting its landscapes, architecture, transportation networks, and river life. Farington's meticulous observations not only produced some of the finest topographical images of the period but also informed the extensive diaries for which he is now best known, making this print significant as both an artistic achievement and a valuable historical document.

Dimensions: H 14 1/4 " x 18" W (with matting)

Condition: Some foxing consistent with age