An evocative view of the Upper Pool looking west towards St Paul's Cathedral. A number of vessels are depicted on the river including cargo ships, Thames barges, steam tugs and several clusters of lighters. Barges are unloaded in the bottom right, and the spires of St. Paul's and Monument are centred in the image. The various states of this etching show Wyllie’s experiments with the effects of light and shadow. Additional states held in the collection include PAF0762, PAF0763, PAF0764.

W. L. Wyllie (1851-1931) was a British Marine artist. Born in London, Wyllie painted, drew, and etched Thames scenes throughout his life. He moved to Portsmouth in 1907, where he continued working, supported the restoration of the Victory and painted the Trafalgar Panorama. Early in his career Wyllie was an illustrator for The Graphic, and he became a member of the Royal Academy in 1907.