Lambeth Palace and the Houses of Parliament

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  • About the work
    Location
    Country: UK
    City: London
    Place: Downing Street

    This picture shows the original structure of Lambeth Palace, the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, prior to the extensive rebuilding and restoration undertaken by Edward Blore between 1828 and 1834. The Tudor gatehouse, the entrance to the palace, was built for Archbishop Morton between 1486 and 1501. Beyond the Palace is a view of the Houses of Parliament.

  • About the artist
    Line and mezzotint engraver Thomas Abiel Prior was born in London. He engraved landscapes after contemporary artists for publishers Henry Fisher and George Virtue. In 1837 he married Emma Sharrow and their son, Thomas William, was born the following year. Prior engraved J. M. W. Turner’s drawing ‘Heidelberg Castle and Town’ under the artist’s supervision (published 1844) and later made further engravings after Turner’s work. He produced 14 plates on steel for the ‘Art Journal’ (1850–71), including plates after works in the Royal Collection. His wife may have died in 1860, when he moved to Calais to be close to their son. Here he taught drawing at local schools, returning annually to assess proofs of his plates. He died in Calais aged 77.
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  • Details
    Title
    Lambeth Palace and the Houses of Parliament
    Date
    Medium
    Coloured engraving
    Dimensions
    height: 20.00 cm, width: 40.00 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from Harrington Bros., April 1980
    GAC number
    14980