The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons is the title of two oil on canvas paintings by JMW Turner, depicting the fire that broke out at the Houses of Parliament on the evening of 16 October 1834. Turner himself witnessed the Burning of Parliament from the south bank of the River Thames, opposite Westminster. He made sketches using both pencil and watercolor in two sketchbooks from different vantage points, including from a rented boat. However it is unclear if the sketches were made instantly, en plein air. The sketchbooks were left by Turner to the National Gallery as part of the Turner Bequest and are now held by the Tate Gallery.
The Burning of the Houses of Parliament
oil on canvas • 92.7 × 123 cm
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Joseph Mallord William Turner