British Museum
Sir Robert Smirke
1823-47
London
Image and text scanned by Nathalie Chevalier.
The principal Facade towards (S) Gt. Russell Street with two projecting wings and a portico in the centre is 370 feet in length. In front it has an Ionic colonnade of 14 columns. The pediment above the Portico, which is borne by two rows of eight columns, is adorned with Sculptures by Westmacott. The number of printed volumes in the Museum is about 2,000,000. The Books occupy about 40 miles of shelving.[text accompanying photograph]
The volume containing these images by an unidentified photographer bears the imprint "With H. and C. F. Feist's compliments" but no name, date, or place of publication, though the Feists were dealers in port wine, and Plate 30 demonstrates that the photograph must have been taken after 1902, and John R. Mendel offers evidence that it dates before mid-1906 [GPL].
Last modified 22 November 2001