Since the eighteenth century London has been one of the most cosmopolitan European cities. A city of contrasts, ideas, novelty, progress and all the consequences that come with these. The city of collective memory where the years go by but some of its scenes remain – there is so much to depict and the observers of this daily life are as important as the ones they draw.

The need to describe a city, regardless of its tone, is timeless as we all need records of past events that will serve the future. This paper intends to show the similarities between the London of the 18^th, 19^th and 21^st century through the hands and eyes of three well-known artists: Hogarth, Gillray and Bell. The witty and satirical tone present in the works of the three artists offer us an intriguing perspective on the social, cultural and political life of Londoners. Commonly accepted that “nowadays cartoonists self-consciously draw on Hogarth or Gillray as models” (Gatrell, 2010), this paper will focus on some of their well-known works such as: Hogarth’s sketch on The Invasion, Gillray’s French Liberty | British slavery and Bell’s on Superstate. As Gatrell (2010) puts it “rudeness and mockery are subjects worth taking seriously. They have taught us cynicism, it’s true. But they have also taught us how to recognise and resist bulls--- and cant.”

Keywords: Images, Caricatures, Hogarth, Gillray, Bell.