Manila Bay was the gateway to the colonial Philippines, the harbor through which the galleon trade, the Spanish administration, and foreign visitors entered the capital. The view of the city from the water was the first sight of Manila for those arriving by sea.
José Honorato Lozano documented this scene as part of his Tipos del País watercolors, a body of work produced in the mid-nineteenth century recording the landscapes, architecture, and daily life of Philippine society. The Vista de Manila desde la bahía depicts the city seen from Manila Bay, recording the skyline and waterfront of the colonial capital. Lozano worked primarily in Manila and produced illustrations that served as visual records of Philippine society for both local and foreign audiences. His work is considered among the most detailed and culturally specific visual documentation of the Philippines in the Spanish colonial period.
This print preserves a record of how Manila appeared from its bay in the mid-nineteenth century.
Available as a fine art print
→ View print here
