ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on one particular viewpoint, the view of London from Richmond Hill, Surrey, UK, demonstrating how, within this particular view-shed, a remarkable proliferation of writers, poets, artists, architects and landscape architects developed a theory of the picturesque from the early eighteenth century onwards. It describes the famed view from Richmond Hill, which, transmitted via the prolific distribution of mass-produced prints, photographs and other media, would go on to etch its likeness in the architectural and urban form of towns and cities across the former British colonies. The book also focuses on ‘material culture’, drawing upon a wide variety of media, from fine art and literature to postcards, posters, advertisements, novels and newspaper articles. It argues that the origins of view protection lie in the emergence of picturesque visual conventions.
