A Paper Tour of the Metropolis : The Architecture of Early Modern London in the Royal Magazine

Abstract

In the middle of the eighteenth century, as the magazine trade in Britain became increasingly competitive, publications began offering their readers illustrations. Beginning in 1761, The Royal Magazine published several illustrations of buildings in London as part of ‘A Tour through the Cities of London and Westminster’. Many of these illustrations represented London buildings through perspective views, often with urban spectators shown looking at them, as if they were in the middle of their own tour of the city’s architecture. This essay explores how this series of illustrations formed a virtual tour of London’s most notable buildings, making the capital’s architecture available in a highly accessible form, as if people could move through the city while moving through the pages.