Unattributed “A View of the Royal Exchange London”

Unattributed. “A View of the Royal Exchange London.”  London: F. West. Ca. 1800.  10 ¼ x 15 ¾ (paper).  Engraving.  Original hand color.  Margins trimmed to image and mounted on to 20th century fabric.  Else, very good condition. This print is a perspective view, or vue d’optique, a special type of popular print published in England and on the continent during the eighteenth century.  These prints were a form of entertainment meant to be seen through devices called “optical machines,” “optiques,” or “peepshows.”  The prints were exhibited by traveling showmen in the streets throughout Europe and would also have been collected by those in the professional and upper classes who had the optical machines at home.  This machine used a lens to enhance for viewers the magnification and perception of three-dimensional depth of the prints.  A mirror was often used so that the perspective prints could be viewed when laid flat, and this meant the image was viewed in reverse.  Therefore, it is n