A View of the East Front of the Queen’s Palace, St. James’s Park

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Commonwealth Secretariat, Marlborough House

This view of Buckingham House, at this time known as the Queen’s Palace, was published in 1796 and shows several differences to an earlier print of the building of c.1710 by an anonymous artist. For example, statues which once adorned the top of the building have been removed, the wide steps which led to the main door are reduced in size, the elaborate fountain previously in the centre of the courtyard is now gone, the gateway which used to be in line with the main door is now located to the left of the building and the railings have been altered to incorporate gas lights. This work also includes new buildings around Buckingham House, constructed since the c.1710 depiction.

James Miller was the son of Johann Sebastian Müller (c.1715-c.1790), a watercolour painter of flowers and an engraver, born in Nuremberg. Müller moved to England in 1744, changing his name to John Miller. His son James also became a watercolour painter, but was best known for his views of buildings in London and landscapes made in the surrounding area. The figures in James Miller’s works were criticised as ‘rather out of scale and badly drawn’ in H. L. Mallalieu’s ‘Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists’ (1976). Miller exhibited at the Society of Artists of Great Britain from 1773 to 1791 and at the Royal Academy from 1781 to 1788.

Places

England, London

Subjects

topography, genre, townscape/cityscape, boy, man, woman, girl, 18th century costume, dress, coat, stockings, breeches, hat, servant, path, gate, park, railing, lamp post, palace, facade, door, window

Materials & Techniques

engraving

Artist

James Miller
T Miller

Title

A View of the East Front of the Queen’s Palace, St. James’s Park

Date

published 1 March 1796

Medium

Engraving

Acquisition

Presented by Sir Nigel Ronald, January 1954

GAC number

15805