Balloon View of London, 1851

A colour view of London from the perspective of an aerial balloon, looking southwards from Hampstead. It shows the brand new Crystal Palace - erected to house the Great Exhibition - as well as the early London railways, Victorian Oxford Street, the Tower and eight of the city's bridges, many of which were recent constructions.

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This is a beautiful colour view of London from the perspective of an aerial balloon, looking southwards from Hampstead. Printed in 1851, it shows the brand new Crystal Palace erected to house the Great Exhibition as well as the early London railways, Victorian Oxford Street, the Tower and eight of the city's bridges, many of which were recent constructions. This is a stunning and unexpected window on a city that was at the centre of a vast empire and at the height of its pomp.