William Spooner
Spooner's Protean Views No. 28 – The Thames Tunnel Changing to Queen Victoria’s Coronation Procession from Buckingham Palace
London: William Spooner, 377 Strand, [c. 1839].
Hand-colored lithographic transparency with aquatint overlay. Image size 13.2 × 18 cm on a printed sheet measuring 23 × 29 cm. One of Spooner’s Protean Views, a series of optical transformation prints that shift in subject when held to the light. In this example, the Thames Tunnel transforms into Queen Victoria’s Coronation Procession departing from Buckingham Palace. Numbered 28 in the original series.
Printed in lithography with aquatint and delicate hand-coloring, this transparency exploits a layered image structure: a hidden second scene is revealed when backlit. These illusion prints—also called “dissolving views” or “transformations”—captivated 19th-century audiences with their proto-cinematic effects. At the top of this example, in contemporary Victorian ink manuscript, is written: “needs to be held in front of a strong light”—confirming its intended function.
No. 28 is one of the more elaborate and patriotic views (monument + coronation), with crossover appeal to both collectors of mechanical prints and Queen Victoria material.
Condition:
Fine. Rich original color with strong contrasts. Sheet clean and intact. No tears, repairs, or mounting. Contemporary manuscript instruction at head of sheet.
Collector’s Corner:
This is number 28 in Spooner’s Protean Views, a celebrated series of optical transformations published between 1833 and 1846. William Matthias Spooner (1796–1882) was among the most prolific publishers of mechanical and novelty prints in 19th-century England, second only to Dean & Son. He was active in the London print trade from 1831 to around 1850, operating from several locations: 259 Regent Street (1831–1836), 377 Strand (1837–1846), and 379 Strand (1847–1854). After 1855, Spooner’s focus shifted to bookselling.
Spooner's protean views employed layered hand-colored lithographs printed on translucent paper or card. When held up to a bright light, the base image dissolves into a second, hidden scene. He is known to have collaborated with printer William Kohler and, earlier, with Lefevre & Kohler. These novelty prints served both as entertainment and as patriotic or moral allegories for Victorian audiences.
Collector's Corner
About the Publisher: William Matthias Spooner (1796–1882)
William Spooner was one of the most prolific British publishers of mechanical and novelty prints in the nineteenth century—second only to Dean & Son. Active in the London print market from approximately 1831 to 1850, Spooner later shifted his focus to the book trade. His business operated from several addresses: first at 259 Regent Street (until 1836), then at 377 Strand (1837–1846), and finally at 379 Strand (1847–1854).
Between 1833 and 1846, Spooner produced an impressive volume of popular lithographs, hand-colored transformation views, movable prints, optical illusions, board games, and educational works for children. His publishing activity diminished after 1846 and appears to have ceased altogether by the late 1850s.
Spooner is best remembered for his innovative protean views—ingenious transformation prints that dramatically changed their subject matter when held to the light. These translucent scenes, printed on thin paper with overlaid hand-colored imagery, would reveal a second image when illuminated from behind. Subjects ranged from dramatic historical events to patriotic allegories and moralizing scenes. Notable examples include the burning of the Royal Exchange; the transformation of the old Houses of Parliament into the new; the destruction of a Swiss village by avalanche; and “Napoleon at the Battle of Wagram” changing into “The Conflagration of Moscow.”
Spooner is also known to have worked closely with printer William Kohler, who was active in the 1830s. Many of Spooner’s lithographs bear inscriptions indicating they were printed by Kohler—either under his own name or in partnership as Lefevre & Kohler (active 1830–1838).
Spooner’s Protean Views include:
No. 1 View on the Red Sea changing to The Finding of Moses in the Bul-rushes
No. 2, 'A Snow Scene," changing to the "Thames Tunnel "
NO. 4. The City of Jerusalem. Changing to the Entry of Our Saviour.
no. 5. The magic lantern
NO. 7, "Windermere," changing t a "Viaduct of Greenwich Railroad"
No. ? An Italian Scene," changing to "A Funeral' Procession
No. 8 Saint George Chapel changing to "Interment of William the 4th"
No. 10 "At sunset on St. Helena, Napoleon dreams."
No. 11 'The Entrance to Green Park'
NO. 12, The Union of the Flowers or the Royal Marriage
No. 13. The Magic Mirror.
No. 14, Alloway Kirk and Burns's Monument," changing to "Tam o' Shanter and the Witches." 1838
NO. 15, "Temple Bar," changing to Guildhall and the Queen's Visit to the City."
. No. 16. The London Mail obstructed by a Snowdrift. Changing to a scene in Autumn with a Fox Chace in the Distance
No.17 'Rein Deer Travelling in Lapland'
No. 18 The Hospice of St. Bernard with the Halt of Napoleon and his Army on Crossing the Alps
No. 19 St. Mark's Venice changing to the Carnival
No. 20. The Royal Exchange, London changing to it being destroyed by fire
No. 21. Napoleon at the Battle of Wagram, Changing to The Conflagration of Moscow.
No. 22. Chartres Cathedral, With the Procession of the Host
No. 23 The Interior of a Catherdral, with the Celebration of Midnight Mass.
No. 24. Guildhall London
No. 25. The new houses of Parliament
, NO. 26. St. Paul's Cathedral.
NO. 27. Westminster Abbey fitted up for the Coronation of Queen Victoria, Changing to the Ceremony of Homage.
No. 28, The Thames tunnel changing to the coronation procession from Buckingham Palace
NO. 29. Poet's. Corner, Westminster Abbey
No.30. Greenwich Hospital. Changing to The. Battle of Trafalgar
no.31 : The tomb of Napoleon in St. Helena
No.32, The pass of the Tete Noire : changing to brigands preparing to attack a party of travellers
NO. 33. Kenilworth Castle Restored. Changing to Queen Elisabeth’s Visit to the Earl of Leicester.
No. 37 Eglinton Castle changing to the tournament of the 19th century. (which took place in 1839)
No. 38 Roslin Chapel changing to iron works
No. 39 St. Jean d'Acri changing to the bombardment by the British & allied fleet, Nov.r 3.d 1840
No. 41 A Swiss Village Before And After An Avalanche.
In the later phase of his publishing career, William Spooner expanded beyond his smaller-scale protean views to produce more elaborate and ambitious transformation prints and panoramas. Among the most notable of these are Spooner’s Panoramic View of the Queen’s Marriage (1840) and Spooner’s Panoramic View of the Procession of Queen Victoria. These works were large-format, hand-colored lithographic accordions—extending nearly ten feet in length—designed to unfold as continuous ceremonial spectacles. Printed by L. M. Lefevre and issued from Spooner’s 377 Strand address, these panoramas showcased detailed royal pageantry, including Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, attendants, and military escorts. The panoramic format allowed for a cinematic unfolding of events, reflecting Spooner’s evolving interest in more theatrical and immersive visual storytelling. These grander productions are now held in major collections, including the Morgan Library & Museum and Dartmouth’s Hood Museum, and represent some of the most sophisticated visual publishing efforts of early Victorian England.
Other references:
“Dictionary of Panoramists of the English-SpeakingWorld “
by Ralph Hyde page 279
Wood, Sileas. “Moving Pictures: Nineteenth-Century British Mechanical Prints.” Print Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 2, 2017, pp. 162–76. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/45137227. Accessed 2 June 2