Pièce 33 - Christmas card of coloured reproduction of Thomas Malton's aquatint of Adam Street, Adelphi, 1796

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Thomas Malton the younger (1748-1804) is best known for his 'Picturesque Tour through the Cities of London and Westminster (1792), etchings of some 100 drawings including a view of the House of the Society of Arts, which had awarded him a premium in 1774, coincidentally, the year of the building's completion. The picture shows on the left, the pedimented block, five lights wide, of what is now No. 18. This, together with the bow fronted building on the right of the picture still survives. But the house next to No. 18, the adjacent, graceful shops and buildings in the Strand, glimpsed at the end of the street, were demolished long ago. The Society did not acquire the freehold of its main house (No. 8) and of the coeval residence for the Secretary (No. 6) until 1922. In December 1977 it purchased the freehold of Nos 4 and 2 and of 18 Adam Street. The Society now owns the largest surviving range of original Adelphi builidngs, all of them designed by Robert and James Adam. The isometric drawing on the back of the card shows the relationship of these various houses. It also indicates the extent of the premises below ground, including huge vaults which extend far beneath John Adam Street. 44,147 copies sold.

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C/28/5

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Creator Victoria 22/12/1998