St. Paul's, from the river

This view shows St Paul's Cathedral rising above Blackfriars Bridge. It is taken from an unusual viewpoint almost at river level and captures the light playing upon the river. It was created as a series of London views by the American photographer Alvin Langdon Coburn (1882-1966) who developed a new way of viewing London in the early twentieth century.

Heavily manipulated images showed new viewpoints with any sharp lines blurred by fog and cloud. These images ensured that London was perceived in a less documentary style, reflecting a Pictorial photography background in which Coburn had trained.