St. James' Palace. From St. James' Street

Joseph Pennell

One of London's oldest palaces, Tudor style Saint James's Palace is located in Pall Mall, just north of St James's Park. It was commissioned by Henry VIII and finished in 1536 and dedicated to his wife Anne Bolyn, as an escape residence for the royal family.

Although no sovereign has resided there for almost two centuries, it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign and is the most senior royal palace in the UK. For this reason it gives its name to the Royal Court (the "Court of St James's"). It is the ceremonial gathering place of the Accession Council, which proclaims a new sovereign.

In 1809, a fire caused severe damage to St. James’s Palace and although much of the damage was repaired, the chapel that had previously been part of it now was separated from the palace and has remained so to this day. The weddings of William and Mary, George III and Queen Charlotte, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and George V and Queen Mary took place in the Royal Chapel of the palace and, in 2013, Prince George was christened there.

Pennell, in a nod to his mentor, Whistler, trimmed the margin at the top to within an eighth of an inch. While printing this impression he left 2 faintly inked fingerprints at the lower center and lower right platemark, a permanent "signature."