Waterloo Bridge, 1903 by Claude Monet

In the autumn of 1899, Monet returned to London to paint 'a series of London fogs' and 'some effects of mist on the Thames'.

Monet stayed at the Savog hotel on the fifth floor overlooking the Thames. Monet concentrated solely on depicting Charing Cross and Waterloo bridges, which he pointed from his hotel room, and the Houses of Parliament, which he painted from Saint Thomas's Hospital.

Unlike most of his contemporary artists who use a subdued palette and a limited range of colors to reproduce the grayness of the city, Monet's London paintings are quite different. Even in these subjects dulled by fog and coal dust, he perceived color in every form. Drifting mists are painted with delicate shades of lilac and pink, and the sky is tinged with pale olive.

If not for the fog, Claude Monet once remarked, "London wouldn't be a beautiful city. It's the fog that gives it its magnificent breadth."