View of the Thames with Blackfriars Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral
Samuel Scott·1761
Historical Context
View of the Thames with Blackfriars Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral, painted in 1761, depicts Robert Mylne's new bridge under construction alongside the great dome that dominated London's skyline. Blackfriars Bridge, begun in 1760, was only the third Thames crossing in London, and its construction represented another step in the modernization of London's infrastructure that Scott chronicled throughout his career. Scott's Thames views constitute the most comprehensive pictorial survey of London's riverside ever undertaken by a single artist.
Technical Analysis
The composition juxtaposes the unfinished bridge with the established bulk of St Paul's, creating a visual narrative of old and new London. Scott's rendering of the construction works continues his documented interest in the engineering transformations of the Thames.
