Il Grande Viale, giardini di Vauxhall, Londra

Canaletto made his living painting Venice for British tourists, but by the mid-1740s war across Europe had throttled the Grand Tour and dried up his trade. So in 1746 he did the practical thing and followed his customers home, settling in London for the better part of a decade. This is one result, the Grand Walk at Vauxhall, the pleasure gardens south of the Thames where Londoners paid a shilling to stroll tree-lined avenues, hear music, and be seen. He brings the same crisp, sunlit precision he once used on the Grand Canal, straightening the view into a long receding avenue of elms. The people matter as much as the trees, small figures in their best coats, out walking on a fine afternoon.