| Old Drury Lane Theatre on Fire | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Abraham Pether |
| Year | 1809 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, cityscape painting |
| Dimensions | 74 cm× 107 cm(29 in× 42 in) |
| Location | Guildhall Art Gallery, London |
Old Drury Lane Theatre on Fire is an 1809 oil painting by the British artist Abraham Pether. It depicts a panoramic view of London on the night of 24 February 1809, the night that the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane burned down during a major fire. It portrays the scene from a bridge over the River Thames looking eastwards with the skyline illuminated by the blaze. [1] The playwright and politician Richard Brinsley Sheridan who owned the theatre, reportedly watched it burn while drinking and quipped "a man may surely be allowed to take a glass of wine by his own fireside". The Times suggested it was the most major such event since the Great Fire of London. [2]
The painting is today in the collection of the Guildhall Art Gallery in the City of London, having been acquired in 1893. [3]
