A military review in Hyde Park before Queen Victoria

A lively scene of a military review held in the north-east corner of Hyde Park as part of the celebration of Queen Victoria's coronation two weeks earlier, the 28th of June. Cavalry gallop around the outside of the field while infantry demonstrate a defensive square and artillery pieces fire blanks, both generating clouds of smoke. On the right is Victoria's coach surrounded by dignitaries, with the houses of Park Lane behind, their roofs lined with spectators. A rare print: the only example we could trace is in the British Museum, published by J. Salisbury. The publication, the only one by Salisbury in the BM, could not have been a success as the plate was soon in the hands of Lewis and Johnson. Primarily publishers of music sheets, they purchased and reissued a few plates in the 1840s. The artist, William Heath (1794-1840), is famous for the political satires he published under the pseudonym 'Paul Pry'.