'Eruption of Vesuvius', near Naples, Italy, c 1850.

Lithograph showing Vesuvius in mid-eruption, with a diagram below explaining the connection between volcanoes and the interior of the Earth. Vesuvius is best known for its devastating eruption of 79 AD which buried the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The volcano erupted frequently in the 19th century, much to the fascination of scientists of the day, and remains potentially active today, although it has not erupted since 1944. Published by James Reynolds, 174 Strand, London, and printed by F Waller, Hatton Garden, London.