Artwork
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection is a print by the Romanticist artist James Whittle. It dates from 5 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. A hand-colored print from 1795 captures the moment St.
About this work
This print shows St. Paul’s Church in Covent Garden burning in 1795. James Whittle made the image right after the fire. It’s one of the few prints that capture this dramatic event.
The fire destroyed part of the church roof on November 5, 1795. The print was published the same year by Robert Laurie and Whittle.
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Overview
A hand-colored print from 1795 captures the moment St. Paul’s Church in Covent Garden was engulfed in flames. Produced shortly after the disaster, it was published by the London firm of Robert Laurie and James Whittle, known for their topographical prints. The image serves as a rare visual record of the fire that damaged the church’s roof on November 5 of that year.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts the church in active ruin, smoke rising from the collapsed roof, with onlookers gathered in the square below. It conveys neither religious symbolism nor idealized beauty, but rather a documentary impulse—recording a sudden civic loss. The presence of spectators underscores the event’s public significance and the community’s response to the destruction.
Technique & Style
Executed in a detailed line engraving with hand-coloring, the print follows the conventions of late 18th-century topographical illustration. Buildings and figures are rendered with precision, while the fire is suggested through smoky gradients and flickering highlights. The composition directs the viewer’s eye toward the central blaze, emphasizing scale and immediacy.
History & Provenance
The fire of November 5, 1795, destroyed the church’s timber roof and damaged the interior. James Whittle, who had recently partnered with Robert Laurie, produced the print within months of the event, capitalizing on public interest. The print was widely distributed and remains among the few contemporary images documenting the incident.
Context
In 1795, London was experiencing rapid urban change and frequent fires due to wooden structures and inadequate firefighting. St. Paul’s, designed by Inigo Jones, was a landmark in Covent Garden’s commercial and cultural life. Its partial destruction prompted public concern and later reconstruction, reflecting broader anxieties about urban safety and heritage.
Legacy
The print survives as a primary visual source for historians studying the church’s architectural history and 18th-century urban disasters. Copies are held in institutional collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it contributes to the study of print culture and civic memory in Georgian London.
Artist & collection
Artist
James Whittle made hand-colored prints of everyday scenes and news events in early 1800s London.
