// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Tower Bridge say when it opened? "I'm spanning the conversation.
| The Opening of Tower Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | William Lionel Wyllie |
| Year | 1895 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 122 cm × 213 cm (48 in × 84 in) |
| Location | |
The Opening of Tower Bridge is an 1895 painting by English painter William Lionel Wyllie.[1]
History and description
[edit]The painting depicts the ceremonial opening of Tower Bridge in London on 30 June 1894. The ceremony was considered to be a significant event in London, described as a "semi-State" occasion.[2] Displayed at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1895, the exhibition's catalogue listed the painting with the following quote regarding the opening:[3]
Obedient to the Prince's touch, the ponderous bascules, like the arms of a giant awaking, reared themselves into the air, and the craft adorned with flags innumerable, crowded through in a long triumphal procession, whilst the roaring of hoarse-throated sirens, the clang of bells, and boom of cannon proclaimed the great Tower Bridge open.
The bridge become one of Wyllie's favoured subjects.[4] "London's Water Gate", a similar painting which also depicts Tower Bridge and also displayed at the 1895 exhibition was given to the architect of the bridge, John Wolfe Barry, beginning a lifetime friendship and making Barry one of Wyllie's top clients.[5][6] The painting is held in the Guildhall Art Gallery collection.[7][8]
References
[edit]- ↑ "The Opening of Tower Bridge, London, 30 June 1894 | Art UK". artuk.org. Archived from the original on 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
- ↑ "The New Tower Bridge – Opening By The Prince". The Standard. 2 July 1894. p. 3.
- ↑ "The exhibition of the Royal Academy, 1895. The 127th. | Exhibition Catalogues | RA Collection | Royal Academy of Arts". www.royalacademy.org.uk. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
- ↑ "Opening of Tower Bridge". Royal Museums Greenwich prints. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
- ↑ "Opening of Tower Bridge | Royal Museums Greenwich". www.rmg.co.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
- ↑ Quarm, Roger (9 November 1981). W L Wyllie Marine Artist 1931. Abner Schram Ltd, Ebury Publishing. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-09-146220-8. OCLC 11756710.
- ↑ "Victorians Decoded". data.bathspa.ac.uk. doi:10.17870/bathspa.c.5144363. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
- ↑ Bridge, Tower. "Tower Bridge in art". Tower Bridge. Retrieved 23 September 2026.