Luminaries Collection

Amidst the gas-lit streets of 19th century London, the city's literary luminaries gathered at beloved haunts like the Cock Tavern on Fleet Street

Luminaries Collection: Disderi Portrait Mosaic of English Luminaries of the 1860s

Disderi Portrait Mosaic of English Luminaries of the 1860s
Collage Mosaic photograph by Disderi reproduced on a carte de visite showing well-known English luminaries of the period (the 1860s)

Luminaries Collection: Duanesburg Highway At Night

Duanesburg Highway At Night
Night view of sodium vapor lights illuminating a deserted stretch of Duanesburg Highway, Schenectady, New York, 1970s. (Photo by Frederic Lewis/Getty Images)

Luminaries Collection: William Collins, Writer

William Collins, Writer
WILLIAM COLLINS Writer whose poetical career commenced at age 12 (this engraving shows him at 14); friend of Johnson and other luminaries of the time. Date: 1721 - 1759

Luminaries Collection: Cock Tavern, Fleet St

Cock Tavern, Fleet St
The dining room of the Cock Tavern on Fleet St. Like other pubs in the area, the Cock was frequented by luminaries like Pepys, Johnson and Tennyson. It was destroyed in 1886

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Amidst the gas-lit streets of 19th century London, the city's literary luminaries gathered at beloved haunts like the Cock Tavern on Fleet Street. In this captivating moment, we see a portrait mosaic of some of these English greats, including William Collins, the poet who penned the hauntingly beautiful "Ode to Poppies." Meanwhile, the Duanesburg Highway at night casts an ethereal glow over the scene, as if illuminating the very souls of these brilliant minds. This enchanting tableau transports us back to a time when the power of the written word truly shone as a beacon in the darkness.