This view of London appeared in the first volume of Civitates orbis terrarum, originally published in six parts in 1572 and 1617, and printed in Cologne, c. 1600-23, with 546 engraved views of cities around the world. Edited by Georg Braun, most of the engravings were done by Frans Hogenberg who relied on earlier drawings and engravings by other artists. This bird’s eye view of London depicts the city as it was around 1550 since it includes the tall spire of St Paul’s cathedral, which was destroyed in 1561. The people in the foreground are wearing English fasions from the first half of the sixteenth century.