The story behind the artwork
From the archives of the Bodleian Library comes a story frozen in time...
Commissioned for the Bodleian Library in Oxford, The Bodleian Frost Fair Map print draws on original ephemera from the Library’s remarkable collection, revisiting a moment in London’s history when the Thames ran solid with ice. During the Little Ice Age, prolonged winters caused the river to freeze repeatedly, and Londoners transformed its surface into a temporary city, complete with stalls, games, printing presses, and public spectacle.
Historic maps and broadsides from the period record these extraordinary events in vivid detail, charting not only the frozen river itself but the ingenuity and resilience of the city that gathered upon it. The Frost Fair reimagines this material as a layered cartographic scene, bringing together fragments of archival imagery with Kristjana’s distinctive visual language to capture a London both familiar and entirely transformed.
This collaboration continues a long-standing dialogue between Kristjana’s work and the Bodleian Library, a shared fascination with maps, myth, and the way knowledge is recorded, preserved, and reinterpreted over time. Working directly from historic sources, the artwork honours the Bodleian’s role as custodian of these stories, translating fragile, centuries-old documents into a contemporary printed form.
The print is also available through the Bodleian Shop as cards at both locations, with totes, mugs, and additional items offered through the Bodleian Shop.
Artwork details
Printed in our studio in London on Matt Smooth Fine Art Cotton 300 gsm, using giclée inks to ensure you are able to enjoy your print for years to come. All prints come with a physical Certificate of Authenticity.
Edition of 175, signed and numbered by the artist.
Print size: 60 cm x 50 cm
Our prints are professionally cut by hand in our studio, therefore sizes can vary by mm.
All Limited Edition prints come unframed.
Delivery & Returns
We offer free worldwide delivery on all Limited Edition prints orders.
Limited Edition prints are delivered within 3-5 working days
For information on our returns policy click here.