22.23 - View of the Canal in St. James’s Park / Vue du Grand Canal dans le Parc de S Jacques a Londres, 1746 by John Bowles, London, England
A beautiful view of the tree-lines path along the canal in St. James Park with a portion of Buckingham Palace in the background. Of note, this is a optical print (vue d’optique) used with a viewer that gave the illusion of depth (an early form of 3-D). This type of print was only used fo a brief period of time (1740-1790) and then was replaced with the introduction of a smaller steroviewer. This type of view was one of the most distinctive engraving styles of the eighteenth century. The image is in full color and makes it one or the most historical printed images of the time. The print is on watermarked paper and rated Very Good (see our rating criteria on the Home Page) with a few extraneous creases at the low right and a few small edge chips and tears along the blank margins. The print measures approximately (14.9″ x 9.0″ – 37.8 x 22.9 cm).