Fraser’s Panoramic Plan of London

Spectacular plan of London published on the cusp of the Victorian Era.

This detailed first edition engraving was designed on steel by Josiah Neele and published by James Fraser in 1831. The map shows London in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, having achieved the title of largest city in the world a few years prior to publication in 1825. To accommodate the tremendous population growth, innovations in sanitation, transportation, housing and engineering would be required in the coming decades, including the emergence of the Underground, development of proper waste removal systems, and construction of new bridges across the Thames (including the “new” London Bridge, shown here under construction).

The map shows the area roughly from Hyde Park to Limehouse, with parks and major thoroughfares colored by hand. Surrounding the map are engravings of prominent London landmarks, reinforcing the cosmopolitan nature of the city. Included are The King’s New Palace (Buckingham, which would not officially become the royal residence until Victoria’s ascendance to the throne in 1837), Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s, the Thames Tunnel, and Drury Lane Theater, among others.