The Painting
A watercolour measuring 7½" x 10¾". Provenance: lithographed by the artist (with
some figures added) for his Views in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London
(1848), plate 2 of 5. Sold at Sotheby’s on 14 July 1988 (lot 158).
About the Artist
Frederick William Hulme (1816-1884) was born in Swinton, Yorkshire. He first exhibited
in Birmingham in 1841 and later at the Birmingham Institute, the Royal Manchester
Institute and, after arriving in London in 1844, at the Royal Academy. He worked
as an illustrator and engraver for the Art Journal and other publications. He also
taught drawing and painting.
The Subject
Carnivora Terrace, Zoological Society Gardens, Regents Park, London. The Zoological
Society of London was formed in 1826. It was given land in Regents Park by the Crown
to accommodate a collection of animals. Decimus Burton (1800-1881) was commissioned
to lay out gardens around pens and cages. Burton’s plans were complete in 1827 and
the first five acres were laid out and opened in April 1828. Admission was restricted
to members of the Society or their guests until 1846 when the general public was
admitted.
Carnivora Terrace (demolished) was built in 1843 to designs by Edmund Wallace Elmslie
(fl. 1841-72). It was described at the time by the Illustrated London News as a ‘capacious
range of cages for the larger carnivora, as lions, tigers, leopards… and will, when
completed, be one of the most important buildings in the society gardens… The roof
is formed by a cast-iron framing filled in with arches and covered with asphalte
in such a manner that the tops of this cage will form a terrace-walk, commanding
a view of the whole of the gardens.’
