View of the Chinese pavilions and boxes in Vauxhall Gardens, 1751

Pleasure gardens, such as Vauxhall Gardens in London, which opened in 1661, were social gathering places for the nobility and bourgeoisie in 17th- and 18th-century England that were open during the summer months. In addition to amusement parks, the 18th century increasingly saw the emergence of Tea Gardens, smaller versions of the Pleasure Gardens, where mainly women and families gathered to spend time in the countryside with tea and other refreshments. The copperplate engraving from 1751 shows the then newly renovated "Chinese Pavilions" in Vauxhall Gardens. Visitors walk in front of the ornate building and guests sit in the boxes.

A View of the Chinese Pavillions and Boxes in Vaux Hall Gardens, Les Pavillions et les Loges Chinese dans Les Jardins de Vaux Hall, colored copper engraving, 28 cm x 40.6 cm, ca. 1751, engraving: Thomas Bowles (1712–1753), drawing: Samuel Wale (1721–1786), print: Robert Wilkinson and Carington Bowles (1724–1793); image source: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1300964/a-view-of-the-chinese-engraving-wilkinson-robert/.