The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16 October 1834
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
unframed: 92 × 123.2 cm · framed: 123.5 × 153.5 × 12 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Modern European Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Bequest of John L. Severance
Accession Number
1942.647
Tags
About this artwork
Fire consumed London’s famous Houses of Parliament on the night of October 16, 1834, and people gathered along the banks of the river Thames to gaze in awe at the horrifying spectacle. Initially, a low tide made it difficult to pump water to land and hampered steamers towing firefighting equipment along the river. The blaze burned uncontrollably for hours. J. M. W. Turner records the struggle as the boats in the lower-right corner head toward the flames. Although Turner based the painting on an ...