The Foundling Museum‘s current exhibition, The Triumph of Pleasure: Vauxhall Gardens 1729 – 1786, is well worth a look if you’re curious about historical London, and about how Londoners entertained themselves in previous centuries. Entry to the exhibition is included with the general admission price, so once you’ve learned all about Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, you can go on to explore the many other interesting rooms and displays that the Foundling Museum has to offer. It’s a great place to spend a few hours out of the almost ceaseless summer rain. We did exactly that recently, and will be writing more about the Foundling and its history in upcoming posts.
The Foundling Museum (Photo: S. Klinge)
For now, here’s a peek at some of the artworks you’ll see on display in this temporary exhibition. There are over ninety exhibits in total, including a scale model, original manuscripts, song sheets, foundling tokens, and works by William Hogarth, Thomas Gainsborough, and Canaletto.
After Thomas Rowlandson, Dr Syntax at Vauxhall Gardens, engraving, 1817, Private Collection
Francis Hayman, Ladies Angling, pen and ink with grey and brown wash, late 1730s, Private Collection
J. S. Muller after S. Wale, The Triumphal Arches, Mr Handels Statue &c. in the South Walk of Vauxhall Gardens, engraving, c.1840, Private Collection
The Grand Walk, Vauxhall Gardens, London, Canaletto, c.1751 Collection Compton Verney
The Triumph of Pleasure: Vauxhall Gardens 1729 – 1786 is at the Foundling Museum until 9 September 2012.
For more information on the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, check out these websites:
Vauxhall Gardens The Friends of Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.
Further reading:
- Vauxhall Gardens: A History by David E. Coke
- The Pleasure Garden, from Vauxhall to Coney Island by Jonathan Conlin
sinithwar
July 10, 2012
The art styles in these exquisite.