3-079-741 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Prospect of Old Aberdeen, 1814. In 1693 the first ever pictorial survey of Scotland was published by military engineer John Slezer. 'Theatrum Scotiae' is an important record of Scottish towns, castles and palaces in the 17th century. For most of these places, it contains some of the earliest views that survive. Together with historical maps and geographical descriptions, the book provides key evidence of the built landscape of the period. Details in the images, the choice of locations, and themes in the texts also give us a valuable insight into Scottish nobility and genteel society at that time.