Samuel Scott

The Briton Samuel Scott was born in London and began painting around 1720, nothing is known about his artistic training. He began as a maritime artist, painting warships and other ships on calm seas in the style of Willem van de Velde, from whom he had many drawings. He also painted, in collaboration with George Lambert, a series of six pictures depicting the settlements of the East India Company. Scott painted the ships, Lambert the buildings and landscape. At the time, Scott was considered one of the "most exalted men of art" in London. At about age 20, Scott began to make sketches of London, especially of the new Westminster Bridge then under construction. When paintings of views of the city became fashionable after Canaletto arrived in London, he began to turn the sketches into oil paintings. He painted at least eleven versions of a view of Old London Bridge. He was still making copies of it 10 years later, when the houses that lined the bridge had been demolished. The images of London Bridge were often painted as one of two pictures, with a picture of the Tower of London or Westminster Bridge as a counterpart.