Google Earth Community: Monet agog at the London smog

Where Claude Monet was apparently standing when he painted the Houses of Parliament, according to research released in August 2006.

Environmental scientists Jacob Baker and John Thornes of the University of Birmingham believe the French artist's views of the scene more than 100 years ago were in fact faithful depictions of the famous London smog.

They analysed the position of the sun in nine works and compared their findings with data from the US Naval Observatory to determine when exactly the paintings were made, arriving at dates that matched Monet's accounts in letters to his wife.

Monet (1840-1926) made three trips to the English capital between 1899 and 1901, producing hundreds of paintings, including no fewer than 95 along this part of the Thames.

He painted from his window at the Savoy Hotel upriver and from the second floor here at St Thomas' Hospital, where there was a covered terrace attached to the former Governor's Hall. This block was heavily damaged in the blitz but stayed in use, finally being rebuilt in 1976.

"Air quality and health-related issues tended to be neglected," Baker said as he prepared to analyse the colours in the paintings to try and decide what particles made up the old pea soup.

For more, see the Guardian and/or my art weblog.

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