
Mary Gatenby
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Sold for £1,152 inc. premium
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The present lot depicts London during the blackout in 1916, during the First World War. Blackouts in London were instated on 1st October 1914 by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, in order to reduce the risk of raids by Zeppelins. From 1917 to 1918, approximately 300,000 people would shelter from attacks in underground stations, a number that would significantly increase in the Second World War. This drawing shows that the street-side advertising signs for 'Schweppes' and 'Bovril' are not illuminated, and that the street lights were dimmed. The distinctive silhouette of St Paul's Cathedral can be seen on the horizon.