Gezicht op Somerset House en de kerk Saint Mary-le-Strand te Londen 1766

This print showing Somerset House and St Mary-le-Strand Church in London was made by Basset, who died in 1819. But the church is labelled as Seville Cathedral, which is an interesting misnomer. Images of buildings were popular in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. This print offers a slice of London life. The grand architecture reminds us of the power of institutions like the church. The image is filled with figures from different walks of life: merchants, street vendors, and wealthy people being taken around in carriages. Note the activity around what looks like a construction site on the left. Prints like this offer insight into London's social structures at the time. Through careful study and access to resources, we can understand the conditions in which the image was made and the social world it depicts.