The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons

On the night of October 16, 1834, fire ripped through the Houses of Parliament in London, drawing thousands of onlookers to the banks of the Thames. J. M. W. Turner was among them, sketching furiously as the flames climbed into the darkness. He later worked those quick impressions into this blazing scene, where orange and gold fire pours across the left side and smoke coils up into the night sky. Crowds jam the riverbank and Westminster Bridge, all eyes fixed on the spectacle unfolding across the water.

Turner had little interest in drawing every brick and window. Instead he let color and motion do the talking, so the fire feels wild and restless and its glow ripples out across the river in shimmering reflections. This loose, hazy way of painting was well ahead of its time and would go on to shape the Impressionists decades later. The event itself marked a real turning point, since losing the old buildings paved the way for the grand new Houses of Parliament that still stand today, along with the famous clock tower housing Big Ben.