Long description

This is a painting of the interior of St. Paul’s Cathedral during the Duke of Wellington’s Funeral in 1852. It was painted by William Simpson (1823-1899).

The painting depicts the many thousands of men and women attending the funeral service inside the cathedral. In the foreground, there are hundreds of people thronging the centre aisle and in the pews on either side. In the centre there are a few men visible wearing red and tartan as military colours. In the pews on the left side of the painting, there are hundreds of men and women dressed in seventeenth century western fashion in sombre black colours. The painting depicts thousands of attendees but only those in the foreground are given some detail. Also visible above the mourners are the large pillars on either side of the cathedral interior. Also visible is the rotunda and its large encircling pillars. The coffin appears to lie in state in this area, at the centre of the painting. Beyond the rotunda and moving towards the altar, there are many more people and behind them, at the back of the picture, the cathedral organ is visible. Most of the mourners are looking towards the funeral casket.