PHILIP CONNARD THE PELICANS OF WHITEHALL. 40x50 inches. The Baynard Press. Condition B+: repaired tears and creases in margins; creases in image. Three pelicans preening themselves at Westminster's St. James' park, with a view of Whitehall Palace in the background. The oldest and most elaborate of the nine royal parks in London, it was designed to connect the royal palaces of St. James' and Whitehall (which burned to the ground in the late 1600s.) The park is particularly famous for the pelicans living on Duck Island, a tradition began during the reign of Charles II, who received a gift of pelicans from the Russian Ambassador. Today, watching the birds being fed is a popular tourist attraction.
