Somerset House

Sir Muirhead Bone was a Scottish printmaker and watercolor artist particularly noted for his depictions of architectural views and city vistas. After he settled in London in 1901, he soon established an international reputation through his remarkable prints; he created nearly 500 prints during his career and was knighted in 1937. With his drypoint needle, Bone meticulously drew directly onto the copper plate this spectacular central London view of the River Thames filled with various boats; when the plate was printed, the image and detailed rendering of the buildings appeared in reverse of what the artist actually observed and drew.

Somerset House is the prominent Neoclassical building situated on the north side of the Thames River overlooking Waterloo Bridge. This stately building was designed by architect Sir William Chambers in 1776, and the Royal Academy of Arts became its first resident in 1779. Additional wings were added in the 1780s, and further construction designed by other architects continued into the nineteenth century. Since the late eighteenth century, Somerset House was the home for several learned societies, such as The Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries, in addition to various government offices, and later, sections of the building incorporated part of King's College. In the twentieth century, the building was increasingly used for cultural organizations and government records offices; today it is a major arts center.