The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford possesses one of the best collections, outside Russia, of panoramic prints of St Petersburg, made between 1716 and 1835, recording the growth of the city from its foundation in 1703 on the banks of the Neva to its emergence in the early 19th century as one of the most beautiful cityscapes in Europe. The collection includes the wonderful series of 16 hand-coloured views made by the Swedish artist, Benamin Paterssen. This text gives an account of the history of Russia through a period of exceptional turbulance during which successive rulers gave visible expression to their political ambitions by adding spectacular buildings to the skyline of St Petersburg and by commissioning prints of exceptional beauty to commemorate their enterprises.