{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1444402"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1444402/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2018LD8483/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2018LD8483/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2018LD8483","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018LD8484","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1444402","accessionNumber":"Gestetner 212","objectType":"Paper peepshow","titles":[{"title":"View of the Mall in St James’s Park","type":"published title"}],"summaryDescription":"Although the land of St James’s Park was acquired by Henry VIII, it was only laid out as a park by Charles II. He was impressed by the French garden style during his exile years in France, and ordered the redesign of St James’s Park adopting a more formal style. What is known as The Mall today derived its name from it originally being used as a field for playing Pall-Mall, a game resembling croquet, introduced to England in the seventeenth century. Although the game is no longer played, the name for the avenue remains in use today. The Mall later became a grand processional route in honour of Queen Victoria. It still serves this purpose today, witnessing various state and royal ceremonies and events.\n\r\nCharles II also kept St James’s Park open to the public, and in the eighteenth century, the park became a favourite outing for the upper society. The Mall in particular was used by the fashionable class as a place to display themselves and observe others, not unlike the Promenade de Longchamp in Paris (represented in Gestetner 24). St James’s Park was further remodelled by commission of George IV. John Nash, who was also responsible for other ‘improvement’ works in London, including Regent’s Street and Regent’s Park (represented in Gestetner 193), oversaw the project. Not surprisingly, Nash brought into St James’s Park his vision of the picturesque, and, as commented by the publisher of this paper peepshow, ‘beautified’ the park.\n\r\nThe depiction of the picturesque metropolis in the paper peepshow appears to have been popular with customers. This paper peepshow was re-issued again in 1830 (Gestetner 216, see references) , and much of the content on the front-face and cut-out panels are re-used in other paper peepshows representing William IV and Queen Victoria going to the House of Lords (Gestetner 225 and Gestetner 232, (see references).\r\n","physicalDescription":"Accordion-style paper peepshow of the Mall.\n\r\n5 cut-out panels. 1 peep-hole. Hand-coloured aquatint. In a slipcase. Expands to approximately 62 cm.\n\r\nSlipcase: green background with a white label in the centre. The label carries a vignette showing Buckingham Palace, captioned ‘The New Palace.’ ‘St James’s Park’ is written above the vignette. Below is the publisher’s label which writes: ‘Sold Wholesale by C. Essex & Co., Gloster Street, St John’s St. Road.’\n\r\nFront face: The title, three lines of the brief history of St James’s Park, and the publisher’s imprint on an off-white background. The peep-hole consists of a large oval opening in the centre. The shutter consists of a view of House Guards, as captioned below the view.\n\r\nPanel 1: four equestrian officers along the Mall.\n\r\nPanel 2: men and women strolling along the Mall; a child and a dog playing in the middle; a couple sitting on the left.\n\r\nPanel 3: two women and a man sitting on the right; a military band playing in the middle; a man and a woman strolling on the left.\n\r\nPanel 4: soldiers marching in the middle; spectators on both side of the Mall.\n\r\nPanel 5: two men and a woman standing on the Mall.\n\r\nBack panel: view of the Mall with several pedestrians; Buckingham Palace in the far distance.\r\n","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"C. Essex & Co.","id":"AUTH348876"},"association":{"text":"Publisher","id":"x32600"},"note":"Gloster Street, St John's St."}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"Paper","id":"x30308"}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"","categories":[{"text":"National Art Library","id":"THES271541"},{"text":"Optical toys","id":"THES274374"},{"text":"Paper Peepshow","id":"THES275149"},{"text":"London","id":"THES270082"},{"text":"Royalty","id":"THES48899"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"NAL","id":"THES48605"},"images":["2018LD8483","2018LD8484"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"NAL","id":"THES251738"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"peepshows","id":"AAT211180"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"No","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"Published","id":"x30682"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1829","earliest":"1829-01-01","latest":"1829-12-31"},"association":{"text":"Published","id":"x30682"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government from the collections of Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2016.","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"10.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"13.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Length","value":"62","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"fully extended","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Part of the Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner Collection, collected over 30 years and given to the V&A Museum through the government's Cultural Gift Scheme, 2016.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"View of the Mall in St James’s Park, C. Essex & Co., 1829","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"R. Hyde, Paper Peepshows. The Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner Collection (Woodbridge: The Antique Collectors' Club, 2015), cat. 212."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"This paper peepshow was re-issued again in 1830, (Gestetner 216):\n\nhttp://web.archive.org/web/20230124111633/http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1444415/view-of-the-mall-in-paper-peepshow/"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Much of the content on the front-face and cut-out panels are re-used in other paper peepshows representing William IV and Queen Victoria going to the House of Lords:\n\nGestetner 225:\n\nhttp://web.archive.org/web/20230124112029/http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1444418/st-jamess-park-his-majesty-paper-peepshow/\n\nand Gestetner 232:\n\nhttp://web.archive.org/web/20230124112343/http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1446841/st-jamess-park-and-her-paper-peepshow/"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["38041016058638"],"accessionNumberNum":"38041016058638","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":null,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"NAL barcode","id":"THES50330"},"number":"38041016058638"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-17","recordCreationDate":"2018-06-27","availableToBook":false}}