Animals have shared space with Londoners from the beginnings. There are no images of the cows, pigs, hens and goats with which early inhabitants shared their living space - or of the more exotic beasts that the Romans kept for gladiatorial display - but creatures are to be found in some of the earliest London pictures. On the c1562 map-view attributed to Agas, cattle are watered beside the Thames and hens and cows roam the fields of Moorgate.

Later we see animals in civic processions, in live markets, circuses, zoos and menageries, sports (some of them cruel), and as domestic creatures. But most of all we see them as the power supply for waggons, carts, buses, trams and cabs. We also see them in pictures showing statues or sculptures, and in decorative panels on buildings. Sometimes of course they are just roaming the London streets - the favourites of artists needing to add a sense of authenticity and activity to any scene.

This gallery presents some of our finest historical photographs and prints of animals and other creatures. To discover more, try searching or use the London Picture Map to focus on a location.