During the summer of 1665, Wenceslaus Hollar's only son died during an outbreak of the bubonic plague, but, unlike many others with the means, Hollar did not flee the city for the safer countryside but remained in London. During this time he produced a series of views of, or from, Islington, which was far less populous than the urban centre, and which had long supplied the city with water. While there, he produced a series of six views of the area that often feature its important waterways. In the present set are all six examples of the views in their first state.