Widely regarded as one of the most impressive sets of aquatint prints ever produced, Daniell's 'Six Views of the Metropolis of the British Empire' were dedicated to George Dance, the City Architect. The plates all measure 25x16 inches and were etched between August 1804 and January 1805. The resulting prints were hand-coloured in a restrained manner. At the same time, Daniell executed a series of six aquatints of the new docks east of the Tower. Together, these images present a faithful and impressive record of London's river when it was the focus of world trade in the early 19th century. This is a view looking west over the City from where Tower Bridge stands today. Note the vast quantity of shipping in the Pool of London: it is hardly surprising that construction of new docks downstream was regarded as a matter of great urgency. Daniell was the artist responsible for 'Oriental Scenery' - probably the finest illustrated work ever published on India, and 'A Voyage round Great Britain', which contains over 300 aquatints and has been described as 'the most important colour plate book on British topography'.