Seats for five persons

Made:
circa 1850
maker:
Unattributed

Painting, oil on canvas, artist unknown, with the caption "Seats for Five Persons", about 1850. Satirical depiction of a crowded compartment of a railway carriage, showing twelve passengers, including a stout woman, an elderly man, an amorous couple and a family with a crying baby. Framed and glazed.

This humorous painting by an unknown artist probably reflects the reality for many railway travellers in the mid-nineteenth century. It is ironically titled Seats for Five Persons.

There are actually twelve passengers squeezed on just one side of a third-class compartment. The woman at the centre refuses to budge, there is a crying baby, an amorous couple and other people’s unwanted music. It’s a journey that railway passengers to this day can probably relate to!

Details

Category:
Pictorial Collection (Railway)
Object Number:
1975-8508
Materials:
oil paint and canvas
Measurements:
overall: 638 mm x 948 mm x 55 mm,
image: 590 mm x 900 mm
type:
painting and oil painting