Wren's City

Wren's City. 1909. Mezzotint. Wuerth 504. 10 x 11 7/8 (sheet 12 3/8 x 14 3/8). Printed on laid wove paper. A rich impression printed by the artist. Signed and annotated 'imp' in pencil. Housed in a 19 x 21 3/8-inch black Whistler style frame. 

St. Paul's Cathedral is framed by the spires of Wren's City churches, dominating the skyline for 300 years. At 365 feet (111 m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962, and its dome is also among the highest in the world.

The task of designing a replacement structure was officially assigned to Sir Christopher Wren on 30 July 1669. On 2 December 1697, thirty-two years and three months after a spark from Farryner's bakery had caused the Great Fire of London, St Paul's Cathedral came into use. The "topping out" of the cathedral (when the final stone was placed on the lantern) took place in October 1708 and the cathedral was declared officially complete by Parliament on 25 December 1711 (Christmas Day). In fact, construction was to continue for several years after that, with the statues on the roof only being added in the 1720s.

Additional works by Joseph Pennell, N.A. are available on the Allinson Gallery, Inc. website.