This etching, depicting an atmospheric view of a horse-drawn cab passing under an iron bridge, was created by Giuseppe de Nittis on one of his extended visits to London in the 1870s. The cab drives along a road on top of the newly constructed Thames Embankment, built between 1864 and 1874 by the Metropolitan Board of Works. This major engineering project, a network of walls and sewers, reclaimed 22 acres of marshy land along the banks of the River Thames. The Embankment project prevented flooding and addressed public health issues like cholera and water pollution. It also created new roads, parks, and bridges, facilitating increased railroad, vehicular, and pedestrian traffic. De Nittis’ composition reflects how modern urban life in central London became dependent on environmental engineering.