House of Lords

Thomas Rowlandson|Auguste Charles Pugin|John Bluck|Rudolph Ackermann, London

1808 · Hand-colored etching and aquatint · Drawings and Prints

The Lords are shown here in session, surrounded by tapestries that record key moments in the Spanish Armada's 1588 failed attempt to invade England. Parliament's hereditary upper house moved into this space, just south of Westminster Hall, in 1801 to accomodate new members added by the Act of Union with Ireland--known as the "Lesser Hall," the building had previously been used for banquets. In 1834, when a disastrous fire destroyed most of the Palace of Westminster, the Lords would move again.

Artist

Thomas Rowlandson|Auguste Charles Pugin|John Bluck|Rudolph Ackermann, London

Date

1808

Medium

Hand-colored etching and aquatint

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917