Drawing from Life at the Royal Academy, (Somerset House)

The Microcosm of London is arranged alphabetically, which allowed the book to begin on the artists’ home turf—"A" is for Royal Academy. This very first plate in the collection shows the Academy’s life-drawing class, which the Microcosm's authors claimed had done wonders for the overall quality of British art in the four decades since it began. Note the ingenious lighting system, and the plaster casts on shelves around the upper walls, meant to provide inspiration when the live models were unavailable.