Elevation of a House
Edward Francis Burney, brother of famous novelist Fanny Burney, sketched this delightfully flat facade that looks more like a dollhouse than a real building. Serving as a drawing master to Queen Charlotte, Burney captured the orderly symmetry of Neoclassical architecture with creamy walls and stark, grid-like windows. The design stacks a wide upper window, a balcony door, and a ground-floor entrance topped by a classical arch, creating a cozy, imaginary home. The muted blue sky and simple lines give it a charming, naive quality, stripping away the grandeur of Georgian townhouses to reveal their essential geometric bones.