Westminster Bridge, with the Lord Mayor's Procession on the Thames

Canaletto, 1697–1768

1747

Oil on canvas

Yale Center for British Art

A wide view of Westminster Bridge over the Thames River, crowded with boats and ships, with a procession of ornate barges carrying many people. The city skyline with numerous buildings and churches forms the background under a cloudy sky. This view on the Thames commemorates two important civic events: the annual river festivities honoring Lord Mayor's Day, and the completion of Westminster Bridge. When Canaletto painted the work in 1747, the bridge was in fact still under construction (it was not opened until three years later), and this part of the scene is largely imaginary. The project was subject both to delays and controversy. The city's only existing bridge was the old London Bridge, and the building of a new one was vehemently opposed by groups such as the watermen (ferry operators), who regarded it as an unfair threat to their livelihoods. Yale Center for Br