The South East Prospect of the City of Bristol

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Government Art Collection

The depiction of fashionably dressed ladies and gentlemen at leisure in this, Samuel and Nathaniel Buck's 'South East Prospect of the City of Bristol', contrasts with the the working classes, including women washing clothes and arranging them to dry, seen in the brothers' 'North West Prospect' of the city (see GAC 9633).

In 1720 the Buck brothers published proposals for engraved views or ‘prospects’ of two panoramic drawings of English towns: Leeds and Wakefield. The success of the prints led to a further eight town prospects. In 1728 they extended the project to record ‘prospects’ of every remaining principal town of England and Wales. Each was drawn at a rural spot some distance from the town itself and, when possible, from a height. The prospects were published with a numbered key and descriptive text below the image.

Brothers Samuel and Nathaniel Buck made their names as leading British topographical draughtsmen of the 18th century. Over a period of 34 years, the Bucks produced several hundred drawings and engravings, including 87 engraved prospects of England and Wales. These are now important visual records of the appearance of British urban landscapes prior to the changes that occurred during the Industrial Revolution. In some cases, the places depicted have since disappeared or changed beyond recognition.

Places

England, Bristol, Somerset, River Avon (Bristol Avon)

Subjects

Materials & Techniques

engraving, coloured engraving

Artist

Samuel and Nathaniel Buck (1696 - 1779)

Title

The South East Prospect of the City of Bristol

Date

published 1734

Medium

Coloured engraving

Acquisition

Purchased from Parker Gallery, March 1967

GAC number

7560