The Lord Mayor's Show

The Lord Mayor’s Show in Olden Days shows the procession of the Lord Mayor of the City of London on the River Thames. However, the Venetian appearance of this scene suggests a fantasy of colour and pageantry rather than the record of an actual Lord Mayor’s Show. The Lord Mayor’s show dates back in the 12th century when King John declared every Lord Mayor had to travel along the Thames to Westminster. The show is named after the Lord Mayor of the City of London, which is different from the position of Mayor of London. A new Lord Mayor is appointed annually and celebrated with a public parade through different routes. The Lord Mayor rode on horseback or went on a barge through the Thames as is represented in this painting. Nevertheless, procession by water ceased in 1856. Currently, the procession includes up to 7,000 people including Members of the City of London, charities and local businesses.
Frank Brangwyn was an avant-garde modernist painter and illustrator. He trained at the South Kensington Art School and worked for William Morris (c.1882-1884). Brangwyn’s other work included producing over eighty poster designs during WWI. The theorist Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) declared him to be the first twentieth-century artist to use colour in a modern manner.