John O'Connor: Ludgate, Evening, 1887

John O'Connor (1830-1889) was born in Ireland and worked in Belfast and Dublin where he painted theatrical scenery before moving to London in 1848 and continuing in the same profession. His scenery painting gave him the ability to convey perspective and capture the drama of a scene and this lent itself well to topographic painting.

Ludgate, Evening was painted from the north side of Fleet Street, looking towards the Wren church of St Martin's and the front portico and towering dome of St Paul's. Victorian London was a city of contrasts and progress, the beating heart of the British Empire, and O'Connor has captured this with his dramatic image of the bustle of modern life presided over by the grandeur of its past in the form of one of the most beautiful buildings in Europe.

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HC-665: card size 7" x 5" (178mm x 127mm)