WHO WAS HENRY DIXON? He was not a pioneer of early photography like Henry Fox Talbot or the Frenchman, Louis Daguerre. His importance lies in the subject matter of his photographs - London in the 1860s, 70s and 80s - and the expertise he brought to them. More...

Proposals for the first London railway line, linking London Bridge and Greenwich, were mooted in 1831 and the line was finally opened in 1835. Trains departed hourly. The fare was sixpence. Travellers enthused about the comfort and speed. More...

Before the eighteenth century children appeared in paintings only in family portraits where they were usually depicted no differently from the adults (sympathetic early representations of children can be found in the portrait of the exiled Sir Edward Hales & his Family by Sir Peter Lely c1656.)More...

This selection of pictures from the collection of Guildhall Art Gallery illustrates many of the more popular themes and subjects in Victorian painting. More ...

Landscape painting emerged as a distinct genre within British art in the late seventeenth century. Its roots lay in the topographical townscapes and country house portraits which celebrated prosperity and a settled social order in the wake of the Restoration of the monarchy. More...

In Tudor times the City was the centre of trade and commerce as well as the overcrowded home of thousands. Westminster housed both the king and parliament while Southwark was devoted to louche pleasures such as bear-baiting, prostitution and the theatre.  More ...

It has been the policy of Guildhall Art Gallery since World War II to focus its attention on acquiring paintings of London. In consequence its formerly small but choice collection of paintings has grown considerably. More ...

Discarded designs and rejected plans lurk like unhappy ghosts behind every important building in London. Our streets are lined with unfulfilled good intentions. Here is a selection of past ideas for improving our capital, plus one or two fantasies. More ...