Chamber of Representatives, Brussels, Steel Engraving after T. Allom, c. 1850

A steel engraving of the Chamber of Representatives in Brussels, seen from the park, after Thomas Allom.

Tall trees frame a long avenue that leads to the classical portico of the Palace of the Nation, with its columns and pediment. A statue on a pedestal stands at right beneath the trees. In the foreground families relax on the grass, children dance in a ring, and couples stroll in the shade.

The plate is lettered "T. Allom" and "Bradshaw", with the title "Chambers of Representatives from the Park, Brussels" and the imprint "Peter Jackson, London and Paris". Allom's Belgian views were first issued by Fisher, Son and Co. and later reissued under the Peter Jackson imprint, so this impression is dated circa 1850.

The Palace of the Nation, completed in 1783, has housed the Belgian parliament since independence in 1830. Brussels Park in front of it was laid out in the eighteenth century and remains the city's formal garden.

Allom's figures, the children at play and the well dressed couples, turn an official building into a scene of everyday city life, which is typical of his approach.

A gentle, leafy view for a living room or office, and a natural companion to the Leuven and Antwerp plates in this group. The engraved image measures about 11.5 by 17.6 cm (height by width), and the margins around it carry all the original lettering, which is worth keeping visible in the mat.