This etching depicts men at work on the river Thames, framed by the archway of Old London Bridge. For similar shipping scenes of London bridge see PAD8348, PAF0767, PAE1969, PAF0767.

John Rennie’s elegant structure of London Bridge replaced the medieval bridge, which had stood since its completion at the beginning of the 13th century. It was built 100 feet west of the original site and was completed by Rennie’s son (also John) in 1831. After being widened in 1902-04 to cope with an increasing volume of traffic, it was discovered that the foundations were sinking and it was eventually replaced by a new bridge which was opened in 1973. An interesting fate befell Rennie’s bridge: it was sold to the American entrepreneur Robert P. McCulloch in 1968 and shipped piece by piece to Lake Havasu City, Arizona where it was rebuilt and exists to this day as a tourist attraction.

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.