London and London life

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. Today the Gallery can boast of a range of highly significant topographical paintings by such masters as Samuel Scott, William Marlow, David Roberts, Atkinson Grimshaw, William Logsdail, James Tissot, and W.L. Wyllie.

Buildings, however, are emphatically not the Gallery`s sole London interest. Paintings that record London life are of equal importance - navvies demolishing Old London Bridge and laying giant tubes to supply water from the New River; Londoners at play at a spontaneous frost fair; brainwaves for improving London such as George Dance`s double bridge; pageantry associated with Queen Victoria`s visit; the casting of a bronze sphinx for Cleopatra`s Needle; and above all, of course, those animated scenes of the Lord Mayor`s Show.