A Brief Account of the Colosseum

A series of eight engraved panoramic views of London, based on the monumental 360-degree painting originally exhibited in th...

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A series of eight engraved panoramic views of London, based on the monumental 360-degree painting originally exhibited in the Colosseum at Regent’s Park—an ambitious early 19th-century entertainment venue purpose-built to house Thomas Hornor’s immense panorama. Hornor, a land surveyor and draughtsman, gained access to the summit of St Paul’s Cathedral in the 1820s, where he spent months sketching a detailed visual survey of the city skyline. The final painting, executed by E.T. Parris on a 40,000-square-foot curved canvas, was installed in the Colosseum’s central rotunda, offering visitors a fully immersive simulation of the view from St Paul’s. These unattributed engravings, likely sold as souvenirs or issued in connection with the exhibition, appear to be re-engravings of the plates from the promotional publication A Brief Account of the Colosseum (1829). Each print reproduces a section of Hornor’s original panorama, capturing a distinct compass direction and featuring finely annotated landmarks—from churches and commercial districts to outlying suburbs and distant countryside. Together, the set offers a striking visual record of Regency London at scale.

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A series of eight engraved panoramic views of London, based on the monumental 360-degree painting originally exhibited in the Colosseum at Regent’s Park—an ambitious early 19th-century entertainment venue purpose-built to house Thomas Hornor’s immense panorama. Hornor, a land surveyor and draughtsman, gained access to the summit of St Paul’s Cathedral in the 1820s, where he spent months sketching a detailed visual survey of the city skyline. The final painting, executed by E.T. Parris on a 40,000-square-foot curved canvas, was installed in the Colosseum’s central rotunda, offering visitors a fully immersive simulation of the view from St Paul’s. These unattributed engravings, likely sold as souvenirs or issued in connection with the exhibition, appear to be re-engravings of the plates from the promotional publication A Brief Account of the Colosseum (1829). Each print reproduces a section of Hornor’s original panorama, capturing a distinct compass direction and featuring finely annotated landmarks—from churches and commercial districts to outlying suburbs and distant countryside. Together, the set offers a striking visual record of Regency London at scale.

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