All aboard: a century of painting railways 1

All aboard: a century of painting railways 1

The nineteenth century brought huge changes in technology and society. Some, like telegraphy, telephones and radio, haven’t featured in many paintings, and even the bicycle has largely escaped the canvas. But the advent of railways, and later motor cars, had greater impact on visual art. In this weekend’s two articles, I trace the first century of railways in paintings from the early 1840s. Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), Rain, Steam,…