Panorama Von Dresden. 44cm x 21.5cm. Mid-19th Century. Original engraving on deckled paper. Reinforced to verso edges. Crease to left margin. Light spotting/foxing. A scarce representation of the Elbe and Dresden in the nineteenth century before the destruction of WWII. On July 8th 1836, Elbdampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft received assent from the Saxon authorities for its plans to introduce passenger and cargo steamer services on the Elbe. A number of paddle steamers operated from Dresden. The one pictured in the foreground features the Imperial Eagle symbol. Dresden at this time was referred to as the Florence on the Elbe or the Jewel Box, for its climate and its architecture. "On 13 February 1945, British aircraft launched an attack on the eastern German city of Dresden. In the days that followed, they and their US allies would drop nearly 4,000 tons of bombs in the assault. Winston Churchill expressed doubts immediately after the attack. "It seems to me that the moment has come when the question of bombing of German cities simply for the sake of increasing the terror, though under other pretexts, should be reviewed," he wrote in a memo. "The destruction of Dresden remains a serious query against the conduct of Allied bombing." BBC."