River Gallery

Krakatoa sunsets, 1883 artworks

Krakatoa sunsets. Artwork of the spectacular red and orange sunsets caused in London, England, by the August 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, a volcano thousands of kilometres away in Indonesia. The ash thrown up by the eruption caused sunsets like these for years afterwards. These three artworks are a sequence, showing twilight and afterglow effects at Chelsea, London, on 26 November 1883, at around: 4.40pm (top); 5pm (middle); and 6.15pm (bottom). These are among the thousands of sunset sketches made by the British artist William Ashcroft. Krakatoa's eruption prompted many reports and investigations. These artworks formed the frontispiece for The Report of the Krakatoa Committee of the Royal Society (1888)

© ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Tower Bridge AA076902

TOWER BRIDGE, London. The bridge seen from riverside gantries, looking east. The Thames is still a major port, with Thames barges and other vessels moored in mid stream. (Reproduced in John Gay, 1964, London Observed). Photographed by John Gay

© Historic England

Bridge, Industrial, River, Victorian, Water

Tower of London & Tower Bridge 21766_20

TOWER OF LONDON, TOWER BRIDGE & GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY BUILDING, London. Aerial view. The new Greater London Authority offices, designed by Foster & Partners, 1998-2002, stand across the River Thames from the Tower of London, from which the country was governed for so long during the medieval period

© Historic England Archive