View of London with St. Paul’s in the distance: woman and children with a baby carriage
Julius Caesar Ibbetson British
Not on view
One of a pair, this watercolor portrays well-to-do women and children enjoying fine weather on a hill-top at Kilburn, northwest of London. Beyond the figures, cows screen a prospect punctuated by the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral, with the river in the middle distance a tributary of the Thames that runs from Hampstead, through Kilburn down to Hyde Park. In this fine early example, Ibbeston's assured handling of line combines with delicate watercolors in a way that demonstrates the influence of Paul Sandby. A keen observer of contemporary life, the artist conveys English upper class contentment just before the outbreak of the French Revolution.