River Thames paintings 1650-1995 part 1

Researching this blog over the years I realised that paintings of the River Thames in London crop up on a fairly frequent basis; I have included them in my posts on André Derain, James Abbott McNeill Whistler for instance, and Claude Monet, who painted the Thames over and again, so I will only include a few representative ones by Monet here. There are more paintings of the River Thames than I ever imagined, but as one goes through the inventory of works it becomes obvious why it's such an attractive subject. 

What has been interesting to note whilst researching these, is the changing face of the Thames - parts that are now considered central London are quite rural in the early works. You can also note certain features like the York Buildings water tower, a wooden structure that was a dominant feature of the C18th London skyline, with echoes of 'The Shard' today. The tower was 21 metres high, with an octagonal cross-section. It was erected in the late C17th on a site at the end of Villiers Street, now part of the Victoria Embankment Gardens. Another feature is Fowler's 'Horizontal' Windmill on the banks at Battersea. It was a working mill until 1825, when it was dismantled, leaving the substructure, which was used for milling as late as 1882. 

Another interesting aspect of the works is the record of London bridges - their construction, repair and renewal are widely featured. On the other hand the Tower of London and St. Paul's Cathedral sit unchanged in numerous paintings from one end of the time scale to the other.


This is part 1 of a 6 – part post on River Thames paintings:

1650 Claude de Jongh "View of Old London Bridge from the West" 
oil on oak panel 71 x 126 cm 
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

1684 Abraham Danielsz. Hondius "A Frost Fair on the Thames at Temple Stairs" 
oil on panel 
© Museum of London, UK

1739 Jan Griffier "The Thames during the Great Frost of 1739" 
oil on canvas 47 x 65 cm 
Guildhall Art Gallery, London

1740 Joseph Nicholls "View of Westminster Bridge" 
oil on canvas 61.5 x 100.3 cm 
University of Greenwich, London

1742 Thomas Priest "Chelsea" 
oil on canvas 34.5 x 64 cm 
Chelsea Library, London

1743-44 Samuel Scott "View on the Thames with Westminster Bridge" 
oil on canvas 63.5 x 76.2 cm 
Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven, CT

1744 Richard Wilson "Westminster Bridge under Construction" 
oil on canvas 72.5 x 146 cm 
Tate, London

1746 Canaletto "The Thames and the City of London from Richmond House" 
oil on canvas 103 x 114 cm 
Private Collection

1746 Canaletto "The Thames with St. Paul's Cathedral" 
oil on canvas 118 x 238 cm 
Private Collection

1746 Canaletto "Westminster Bridge from the North on Lord Mayor's Day" 
oil on canvas 96 x 137.5 cm
Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven, CT

1746 Samuel Scott "The Thames at Westminster Bridge with Barges" 
oil on canvas 100 x 190 cm 
Private Collection

1746c Canaletto "The River Thames with St. Paul's Cathedral on Lord Mayor's Day" 
oil on canvas 26.8 x 37.6 cm 
The Lobkowicz Collections, Prague Castle, Czech Republic

1747 Canaletto "London seen through an arch of Westminster Bridge" 
oil on canvas 57 x 95 cm 
Syon House, Middlesex UK

1749 Canaletto "Westminster Bridge under Repair" 
ink on paper 27.1 x 37.2 cm 
Royal Collection, Windsor, UK

1750-52c Canaletto "A View of Greenwich from the River" 
oil on canvas 59.1 x 94 cm 
Tate, London

1750-65c Samuel Scott ( attributed to ) "The Thames with the York Buildings Water Tower" 
oil on canvas 76.5 x 127 cm 
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK

1750c Samuel Scott "An Arch of Old Westminster Bridge" 
oil on canvas 27 x 39.7 cm 
Tate, London

1750c Samuel Scott "An Arch of Westminster Bridge" 
oil on canvas 135.7 x 163.8 cm 
Tate, London

1751 Canaletto "Chelsea from the Thames at Battersea Reach" 
oil on canvas 85 x 105.5 cm 
National Trust, Blickling Hall, Norfolk, UK

1752c Canaletto "Greenwich Hospital from the North Bank of the Thames" 
oil on canvas 68.6 x 106.7 cm 
National Maritime Museum, London

1753 Samuel Scott "Old London Bridge" 
oil on canvas 98.5 x 186.5 cm 
National Trust, Blickling Hall, Norfolk, UK

1753c Canaletto "Greenwich Hospital from the North Bank of the Thames" 
oil on canvas 30.3 x 43.8 cm 
National Maritime Museum, London

1758c Samuel Scott "A View of Westminster Bridge and Parts Adjacent" 
oil on canvas 29.8 x 54 cm 
Tate, London

1760-70c After Samuel Scott "A View of the Thames with the York Buildings Water Tower" 
oil on canvas 60.3 x 109.5 cm 
Tate, London

1760c Samuel Scott "The Thames at Twickenham" 
oil on canvas 45.7 x 92.7 cm 
Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven, CT

1762 William Marlow "Blackfriars Bridge and St Paul's, London" 
oil on canvas 104 x 168 cm 
Guildhall art Gallery, London

1765-90? Style of Samuel Scott "The Thames with Westminster Bridge" 
oil on canvas 76.5 x 127 cm 
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK

1769 Samuel Scott "The Pool of London" 
oil on canvas 47 x 60 cm 
Guildhall Art Gallery, London

1771 Samuel Scott "The Thames and the Tower of London" 
oil on canvas 101 x 193 cm 
Yale Centre for British Art, New Haven, CT

before 1772 Samuel Scott "The Thames by the Tower of London" 
oil on canvas 98 x 186.5 cm 
National Trust, Felbrigg Hall, Norfolk, UK

before 1772 Samuel Scott "View on the River Thames near the Tower of London" 
oil on canvas 49.6 x 90.4 cm approx. 
Sir John Soane's Museum, London

before 1772 Samuel Scott "The Thames: The Strand Shore and Westminster Bridge" 
oil on canvas 
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

1774c William Marlow "Blackfriars Bridge and St Paul's, London" 
oil on canvas 99 x 122 cm 
Guildhall Art Gallery, London

1775c William Marlow "View on the Thames" 
oil on canvas 49.2 x 78.7 cm 
Tate, London

1780-84c Francis Holman "A Dockyard at Wapping" 
oil on canvas 78.7 x 127 cm 
Tate, London

1780c William Marlow "The Thames at Richmond" 
oil on canvas 61 x 102 cm 
H.M. Government Art Collection, UK

1785-90 ( British School ) "The Thames at Millbank" 
oil on canvas 55.6 x 85.6 cm  
Museum of London, UK

before 1788 Herbert Pugh "London Bridge from The Old Swan" 
oil on canvas 98 x 123 cm 
Bank of England Museum, London

1790c Daniel Turner "View of St Paul’s from the Thames" 
oil on canvas 59.1 x 74.9 cm 
Tate, London

1791-1810 Daniel Turner "The Tower of London from the River" 
oil on panel 29.4 x 40.9 cm 
Museum of London, UK

1794c J.M.W. Turner "Old London Bridge" 
graphite and watercolour on paper 
Tate, London

1795-1802 John William Edge "St Paul's Cathedral across the Thames, London" 
oil on wood 17.4 x 32.4 cm 
Museum of London, UK

1796c J.M.W. Turner "Westminster Bridge and Abbey from the North East" 
graphite and watercolour on paper 13.2 x 20.6 cm 
Tate, London

1800 Daniel Turner "Westminster Bridge and Abbey" 
oil on canvas 34 x 48.5 cm 
H.M. Government Art Collection, UK

1800c Daniel Turner "Southwark Bridge" 
oil 36.8 x 54 cm 
The National Trust for Scotland, Hill of Tarvit Mansionhouse and Garden, UK

1801-10 Daniel Turner "Blackfriars Bridge and St Paul's from the Bridge" 
oil on panel 15.8 x 23 cm 
Museum of London, UK

1805 J.M.W. Turner The River Thames and Kew Bridge 
graphite and watercolour 25.6 x 36.4 cm
 Tate, London