An iconic view of London, at it was at the beginning the seventeenth century, taken from Southwark and looking north. Based on Claesz Jansz Visscher's (1587-1652) "excudit" panorama published in about 1620, the only extant example of which is housed in the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington. The view is not a slavish copy of Visscher's work, as St Katherine by the Tower is correctly named; and the style is more reminiscent of Nicholas Berey's view of the city, published in 1660. This is probably not a surprise as Berry was Jaillot's father-in-law.

London extends from Whitehall in the west, to St Katherine's by the Tower, in the east. It is presented as an industrious and prosperous city. The Thames teems with all manner of sailing vessels, fit for passengers, trade, and war: ferries, wherries, barges, pinnaces, barks, and galleons.

London bridge is far from falling down, and is lined with houses and businesses, and heads from the decapitated on spikes. The old St Paul's is prominent, as are both the Swann ('La Batterie des Ours') and Globe ('La Comoedie') theatres in Southwark. The old Banqueting House (burnt down in 1619), as well as the buildings at the north end of London bridge, which were destroyed by fire in 1633.

The text below provides information on the city's history, its geographical position, the River Thames, and its role as the principal political and commercial hub in England.

The Frenchman Alexis-Hubert Jaillot was born in the small hamlet of Avignon in Franche Comte. In 1657 he traveled to Paris with his brother Simon and found employment as a sculptor. He was fortunate to meet the Flemish engraver Nicolas Berey, the publisher and mapmaker to the Queen. His subsequent marriage to Jeanne Berey resulted in Jaillot joining his father-in-law in trade. Much of Jaillot's work depended on the maps of his predecessor, Nicolas Sanson d'Abberville (1600-1667), the greatest French map-maker of his generation and the founder of the French School of Geography. The great fire of 1672 destroyed the Blaeu mapmaking empire in Holland and Jaillot quickly acted to fill the gap now left in the market. Near 1670, Sanson's sons entered into collaboration with Jaillot to produce the monumental 'Atlas Nouveau', which included enlarged and embellished renderings of Sanson's magnificent maps. Jaillot's efforts awarded him the title of Royal Geographer by Louis XIV.

Rarity: Scoloudi records only one example in the British Museum. We have been unable to trace another extant example.