The millions of images of the capital in the collections at London Metropolitan Archives are testament to the allure of London as a subject for artists - its buildings, traditions and its people.
London: Portrait of a City is an exhibition at London Metropolitan Archives, running from 8 November 2021 to 6 April 2022, which delves into the collections to explore the formats chosen by artists and surveyors since the eleventh century to create their representations of the capital. From simple wax seals to intricate engravings; elegant watercolours to digital prints, the exhibition reveals the visual history of one of the great cities of the world.
Image making techniques on display included etching, linocut, mezzotint and screenprint, and records of the city were captured on film and in audio formats, and presented on souvenirs and objects.
This selection of items from the exhibition presented here gives a sense of the depth and breadth of the collections and is a great place to discover the different format used by artists to record London. If you're inspired by the images in this gallery, and want to see more formats, use the Advanced Search page to select from our picture mediums.