General Post Office, London, with Saint Paul's Dome, Antique View, circa 1850

The General Post Office in London, an original antique steel engraving, uncolored, circa 1850. The caption below the image reads DAS GENERAL-POSTAMT in London, that is, the General Post Office in London.

The long classical front of the Post Office fills the left half of the plate, with a deep portico of tall Ionic columns and a central pedimented portico further along the street. Beyond the rooftops on the right rises the dome of Saint Paul's Cathedral above a row of tall brick houses. The street is full of traffic: coaches drawn by teams of horses, a cab, a man carrying a sign board on a pole at the left, men and women walking along the railings, street lamps and two dogs, one running across the cobbles in the foreground.

No artist or engraver is named on the plate. The imprint at lower left reads Aus d. Kunstanst. d. Bibliogr. Instit. in Hildbh. (from the art works of the Bibliographisches Institut in Hildburghausen), and at lower right Eigenthum der Verleger (property of the publishers). The plate number CCCLXXXVII is engraved at the top right.

The sheet comes from a dealer's album rather than from a bound set. Meyer's Universum was a serial collection of engraved views with descriptive text, published by Joseph Meyer's Bibliographisches Institut at Hildburghausen from 1833, its plates engraved on steel. The General Post Office in St Martin's le Grand was designed by Sir Robert Smirke and opened in 1829.

Marked handling soiling along the bottom, right and top edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. Corners and edges are not shown by this scan. Clean, even paper tone in the margin. Several larger brown marks.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.