The Long View of London from Bankside.

Melbourne: Hamel & Ferguson,, 1879. Long-lost cathedrals, theatres and palaces First Australian edition of this magnificent panorama of Civil War-era London from Tower Hamlets to Whitehall, a key source for the city's urban environment before the Great Fire. This facsimile edition frames the panorama with a decorative geometric border. Hollar's cityscape was drawn as though from a single viewpoint, that of the tower of Southwark Cathedral. Many long-vanished buildings are reproduced here: old St Paul's Cathedral is prominently laid out on the horizon, along with Inigo Jones's classical restorations to the south transept, only completed in 1642. The Globe is also depicted (though mislabelled as the Beargarden), making Hollar's engraving a valuable source of information on the structure of Shakespeare's theatre. At the far left is the Palace of Whitehall, the primary residence of the Tudor and Stuart monarchs until it was destroyed by fire in 1698. The engraver of this facsimile was Gracius Joseph Broinowski (1837-1913), a Polish-born artist and ornithologist who later produced the Birds of Australia (1887-91). The firm of Hamel & Ferguson were in business from 1864 to 1889. Lithograph (485 x 2250 mm). Verso lined with paper and with Japanese tissue paper repairs to extremities. Minor browning and finger soiling, short closed tear to lower margin, a couple of small paper repairs, touching image: a very good print.