Surrey Institution
Image information
Surrey Institution
This hand-coloured aquatint shows a scientific lecture in the Rotunda of the Surrey Institution. This operated from 1808 to 1823 in a building on Blackfriars Road on the south side of the Thames that had previously housed the Leverian Museum. Modelled on the successful Royal Institution of Great Britain, it aimed to disseminate scientific and literary knowledge to a wider public. The print shows a very full audience, a significant proportion of which is made up of women. A pencil annotation identifies the speaker as Humphry Davy (1778-1829) lecturing on mining. However, Davy, professor of chemistry at the Royal Institution, never lectured at the Surrey Institution and the print in fact depicts Frederick Accum (1769-1838) during one of his chemistry lecture courses. The museum holds a portrait engraving of Accum dated 1820 (PAJ 3968). This print was published as Plate 81 in W. H. Pyne and W. Combe, 'The Microcosm of London', 3 vols (R. Ackermann: London, 1808-11).
Thomas Rowlandson
Original size: 265 mm x 322 mm
- Image reference: L1071
- National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Discover more
More by this artist
Search for similar images
Product images of Surrey Institution
Our prints
We use a 240gsm fine art paper and premium branded inks to create the perfect reproduction.
Our expertise and use of high-quality materials means that our print colours are independently verified to last between 100 and 200 years.
Read more about our fine art prints.
Manufactured in the UK
All products are printed in the UK, using the latest digital presses and a giclée printmaking process.
We only use premium branded inks, and colours are independently verified to last between 100 and 200 years.
Delivery & returns
We print everything to order so delivery times may vary but all unframed prints are despatched within 2-4 days via courier or recorded mail.
Due to the coronovirus pandemic and Brexit situation, current shipping times may be longer, particularly for destinations outside the UK.
Delivery to the UK is £5 for an unframed print of any size.
We will happily replace your order if everything isn’t 100% perfect.
