Painting: Frost Fair On The Thames

~ beetleypete

This incredibly detailed painting from an unknown artist depicts a fair held on the frozen River Thames in London. It has been dated to around 1685, and the Old London Bridge complete with houses and shops built on it can be seen in the distance. The river froze to a thickness of 12 inches deep that year.

This has a double appeal to me, as a Londoner and a lover of detail in paintings. The canvas measures 2.75 feet by 3.05 feet and can be viewed at the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT. (New England, USA)

The photo can be significantly enlarged by clicking on it twice.

39 thoughts on “Painting: Frost Fair On The Thames”

  3. Another good choice Pete. Looks like the white tower (top left of picture) but I’m struggling to work out the artists vantage point, or am I being too pedantic and should just enjoy the talent.

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    1. I presume the large church on the right is Southwark Cathedral, and the tall thin building close to London Bridge is The Monument, which opened in 1677. St Paul’s Cathedral can be seen on the left. The vantage point must have been somewhere close to the modern Blackfriars Bridge, perhaps painted by the artist standing on the riverbank and changing the perspective.

      Cheers, Pete.

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  4. Wonderful for the minute details as well as the subject matter. I remember seeing pictures of the Thames frozen over but not this one. It’s hard to imagine it being cold enough, as much as everyone moans about the British climate! I do remember one summer, late 70’s? when we read that the Thames might run dry. You would know the truth of that. I am always fascinate by pictures of London through the ages.

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    1. I have seen ice on the river, and the edges thinly frozen, but nothing like that shown in the painting. There were quite a few frost fairs held before the 19th century. The Industrial Revolution must have started global warming!

      Best wishes, Pete.

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  5. Excellent detail, including what looks like it might be two horrible animal-killing rings in the foreground. I find it strange in paintings like this that people don’t seem to be dressed in anything other than normal clothes for the time, given that it is, presumably, extremely cold! Cheers, Jon.

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    1. Most ordinary people would only have had one set of outdoor clothes, and perhaps a change of shirt for men. They would not have been able to afford the furs that were used for warm coats by the rich. I think the ‘rings’ are probably dog-fighting or animal baiting for gambling.

      Best wishes, Pete.

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        1. Most winters were not cold enough for long enough for ordinary people to make good use of ice. Before the invention of powered refrigeration, wealthy people would build ‘ice houses’ on their land, partly underground structures with thatch roofs and large interior pits that would be packed with the solid ice. Then they would import large blocks of ice by sea from Norway during the winter, and store them in the ice houses. This is a very good example of one that still exists at Holkham Hall, not far from Beetley. https://www.holkham.co.uk/about-us/our-properties/historic-properties/the-ice-house/

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  15. That’s just amazing Pete, hadn’t seen this before. I blew it up large and there’s so much to see amongst the little people. Brilliant. What a shame the artist isn’t known.

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  16. Pingback: Painting: Frost Fair On The Thames | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

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