Join us for this exciting partnership event between Sir John Soane’s Museum and The Georgian Group, as part of Open House London to discover more about lesser-known aspects of London life in the Georgian era.

Explore unique watercolours by (Benedictus) Antonio Van Assen (1767-1817), a Dutch artist and specialist figure painter. Illustrating sixteen scenes of London street life in 1793, the watercolours depict the grittier and more exotic side of urban life, away from the fashionable streets, including dromedary rides, street acrobats, and bare-knuckle boxing.

Although it was never actually published, this proposal for a book survives in Soane’s library. Sue Palmer, Archivist and Head of Library Services at Sir John Soane’s Museum, will guide us through this unpublished historic volume page by page, giving background to each scene to bring the watercolours to life and celebrate London in all its richness in the Georgian era. The talk will be followed by a Q&A and an opportunity to view Van Assen’s volume in person.

About the speaker

Sue Palmer has been Archivist to Sir John Soane’s Museum since 1989 and is the author of At Home with the Soanes (Pimpernel Press, 2015) and of a number of articles on Soane’s life and times.

About the event

This event is taking place at the Georgian Group, 6 Fitzroy Square, London W1T 5DX.  Doors will open at 6 pm.

Timings for the evening:

18:00 Doors open and drinks reception

18:30 Talk begins

19:15 Q&A

19:30 Opportunity to view the Van Assen volume

20:00 Event ends

Georgian Group members are eligible for a discount on their ticket by entering GGMEMBER at the checkout.

Please read our Terms and Conditions before booking.

If tickets have sold out for this event, please email members@georgiangroup.org.uk to be added to the waiting list