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C. A. Lane's Telescopic View of London and the Thames, from the Duke of York's Column. Carlton Gardens

Paper Peepshow
ca. 1852 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The Duke of York’s Column still stands today in London, on the north side of the Mall where it meets Regent Street. The Column was designed by Benjamin Wyatt and erected in 1823, and the statue of the Duke, designed by Sir Richard Westmacott, was placed at the top two years later. Duke of York was the title of Prince Frederick William, second son of King George III and Commander in Chief of the British Army. He was highly proficient in his role, and won the praise of Wellington for his administrative reforms.

The publisher, Charles Augustus Lane, was a manufacturer of fancy goods, and produced a number of paper peepshows on different topics in the 1850s. This paper peepshow chooses the less common bird’s-eye view, and positions the audience on the top of the Duke of York’s Column. This viewpoint associates the paper peepshow with the experience of the panorama, another popular optical entertainment during this period.

The lens at the back of the front panel is relatively rare for a paper peepshow of this period, and would appear more often in an 18th-century wooden peepshow box instead. It may have been added here to echo the ‘telescopic view’ in the title. Although only a flat piece of glass, the lens nevertheless enhances the illusion of peeping into another world.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleC. A. Lane's Telescopic View of London and the Thames, from the Duke of York's Column. Carlton Gardens (published title)
Materials and techniques
Brief description
C.A. Lane's Telescopic View of London and the Thames, from the Duke of York's Column. Carlton Gardens, Lane, C.A., ca.1852
Physical description
Accordion-style peepshow of the view from the summit of the Duke of York’s Column.

4 cut-out panels. 1 peep-hole. Chromolithograph. In a slipcase. Expands to approximately 52 cm.

In a red buckram portfolio, which indicates that it came from the collection of Percy Muir. Inscription in gold on the spine: ‘London – Ca. 1850.’

Slipcase: the title and imprint of details of the publisher surmounted by the Westminster portcullis, flanked by two vases of flowers on pedestals.

Front-face: same design as on the slip-case except for printed in gold, the peep-hole consists of the circular hole in the middle, equipped with a back-mounted lens.

Panel 1: a blank frame painted in gold.

Panel 2: view of Horse Guards Parade in a frame with floral pattern.

Panel 3 & 4: the City of London with St Paul’s in view, the Thames, Southwark and Lambeth.

Back panel: view of the Surrey Hills.
Dimensions
  • Height: 16cm
  • Width: 19.5cm
  • Fully extended length: 52cm (Note: Maximum expanded depth)
Credit line
Accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government from the collections of Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2016.
Object history
Percy Muir (In a red buckram portfolio, which indicates that it was acquired by the Gestetners from the collection of Percy Muir. Inscription in gold on the spine: ‘London – Ca. 1850.’)

Part of the Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner Collection, collected over 30 years and given to the V&A Museum through the government's Cultural Gift Scheme, 2016.

Summary
The Duke of York’s Column still stands today in London, on the north side of the Mall where it meets Regent Street. The Column was designed by Benjamin Wyatt and erected in 1823, and the statue of the Duke, designed by Sir Richard Westmacott, was placed at the top two years later. Duke of York was the title of Prince Frederick William, second son of King George III and Commander in Chief of the British Army. He was highly proficient in his role, and won the praise of Wellington for his administrative reforms.

The publisher, Charles Augustus Lane, was a manufacturer of fancy goods, and produced a number of paper peepshows on different topics in the 1850s. This paper peepshow chooses the less common bird’s-eye view, and positions the audience on the top of the Duke of York’s Column. This viewpoint associates the paper peepshow with the experience of the panorama, another popular optical entertainment during this period.

The lens at the back of the front panel is relatively rare for a paper peepshow of this period, and would appear more often in an 18th-century wooden peepshow box instead. It may have been added here to echo the ‘telescopic view’ in the title. Although only a flat piece of glass, the lens nevertheless enhances the illusion of peeping into another world.
Bibliographic reference
R. Hyde, Paper Peepshows. The Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner Collection (Woodbridge: The Antique Collectors' Club, 2015), cat. 261.
Other number
38041800931032 - NAL barcode
Collection
Library number
Gestetner 261

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Record createdFebruary 24, 2017
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