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Lot Essay
London Society was most frequently depicted through images of 'the pursuite of pleasure'. London provided an array of settings where the fashionable could be portrayed, the most popular being the semi-private arena of the royal parks. These were originally royal hunting grounds and their proximity to the royal palaces meant that they were an ideal place of relaxation from the formalities of court. Throughout the 19th century artists were attracted to Hyde Park and particularly to Rotten Row which was synonymous with the beau-monde until World War II. The present image shows Hamilton Place, a short cul-de-sac leading out of Piccadilly to the southern end of the Hyde Park. It is named after James Hamilton, who was the Ranger of Hyde Park for King Charles II.
During the 19th century, the more wealthy Londoners continued to maintain their own private carriages and their own coach horses and stables, while those less affluent kept their carriages at the local livery stables; those who could not keep carriages of their own hired them from the same source. The four-in-hand was one of the largest and most elaborate horse-drawn carriages of the time requiring immense skill from the driver. It was a very public display of wealth and sophistication.
Albert Ludovici Sen. (1820-1894) exhibited extensively in Britain mainly at Suffolk Street, the Royal Academy, the British Institution and elsewhere. He was the father of Albert Ludovici Jun. and like his son he lived predominantly in Paris. His pictures of London certainly convey the spirit of the sophisticated boulevard life of that period, and the plein-air painting of his French contemporaries.
James Pollard The Four-in-Hand Club, Hyde Park, 1838. (Engraved by J. Harris, published by Ackermann & Co.)
During the 19th century, the more wealthy Londoners continued to maintain their own private carriages and their own coach horses and stables, while those less affluent kept their carriages at the local livery stables; those who could not keep carriages of their own hired them from the same source. The four-in-hand was one of the largest and most elaborate horse-drawn carriages of the time requiring immense skill from the driver. It was a very public display of wealth and sophistication.
Albert Ludovici Sen. (1820-1894) exhibited extensively in Britain mainly at Suffolk Street, the Royal Academy, the British Institution and elsewhere. He was the father of Albert Ludovici Jun. and like his son he lived predominantly in Paris. His pictures of London certainly convey the spirit of the sophisticated boulevard life of that period, and the plein-air painting of his French contemporaries.
James Pollard The Four-in-Hand Club, Hyde Park, 1838. (Engraved by J. Harris, published by Ackermann & Co.)