Rowlandson [&] Pugin.

Lloyd's Subscription Room.

11 x 9 inches

Aquatint in original colour etched by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Pugin after their own design and published in Rudolph Ackermann's 'Microcosm of London', 1808-10.

Lloyd's, the famous London insurance company, began life (as so many good ideas did) in the coffee shops of the late C17th. At this period the society were occupying spacious quarters within the Royal Exchange. The subscription room was where most of the dealing took place and its interesting to observe that in the booths down the right hand side coffee drinking isa still going on!

As its title suggests, 'The Microcosm of London' was intended to offer a snapshot of London life, both architecturally and socially, during the Regency. When he was contemplating the project, Ackermann approached two of the most skilled artists of the day who excelled in their fields. Augustus Pugin (father of Augustus Pugin the famous Gothic Revival architect) was well placed to draw the architectural detail but he was not adept at figurative work. For this Ackermann approached the prodigiously talented artist and caricaturist, Thomas Rowlandson. They both worked on the drawings and the copper plates and the results are a very pleasing combination of architectural accuracy enlivened by amusing figurative detail.

£325