Harris (John)

London, John Harris, c.1725.
an elevated perspective view of Marlborough House after a drawing by James Lightbody, engraved by John Smith for his ‘Nouveau Theatre de la Grande Bretagne’. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren as the London residence of John Churchill, and was completed in 1711, the year Churchill became the Duke of Marlborough. The gardens in front were designed for his wife, Sarah Churchill, who had leased the land from the royal estate, by Henry Wise, Superintendent of Gardens to Queen Anne, who also worked on the gardens of Churchill’s primary residence, Blenheim Palace. The view is taken from St James’s Park, overlooking the Mall in the foreground, populated with elegantly dressed nobility and an opulent carriage,.