Borough High Street

In this watercolour, the artist has depicted the facades of 29-31 Borough High Street in Southwark. The terraced buildings are carefully rendered, with particular attention paid to the shops on street level. Women and children are shown gazing into the well-stocked windows of 'Paine and Simpson, combmakers and hardwaremen'. Other figures are portrayed inside the premises and by the entrance to the 'Old Ship Inn'.

Gideon Yates was born in 1790 and this picture was painted towards the end of his career. He was known as a topographical artist and depicted buildings in London, particularly those in the borough of Southwark, as well as views of bridges in the capital. Old London Bridge and the building of the new bridge was of particular interest to him. Although London features in many of his works, Yates was a keen traveller who journeyed across Britain and the Continent.