Queen Mary's Shallop, Built 1689

38 x 23cm (14 x 9.1 inches).
The Royal State barge made for Queen Mary

This high quality vintage lithograph was made in Great Britain in the early 1950s. The paper is thick and light creamy white in excellent condition and is blank on the reverse side.

From the time of Henry VIII onwards, spectacular state barge processions became popular on the River Thames. The processions comprised of royal barges, the Lord Mayor's barge and livery company barges. The livery companies evolved from London's medieval trade guilds. These wealthy, ancient companies, such as The Goldsmiths, became (and some remain!), very wealthy and politically powerful in The City of London. Their magnificent barges projected the power and success of their owners to the public.