A Family Applying Wray's Aromatic Spice Plaster

Cartoon, ink pen (stylic art), "A family applying Wray's Aromatic Spice plaster preparatory to undertaking a journey by the Railroad", by C.A.S., a satirical comment on passengers' fear of railway travel, depicting a family anointing themselves, about 1838 - 1843.

This is one of a series of cartoons satirising the early railways. The image shows a family using spice plasters before undertaking a journey on the railway. Spice plasters were a common form of medicine during the Victorian period, having been used for thousands of years. Commonly made of mustard, it was believed that these plasters could treat congestion, muscle pain and headaches, among other things. It appears that this family are applying the plaster as a preventative measure. In the early years of the railway there was some anxiety that travelling on trains could cause ill health. This wasn’t necessarily an unfounded fear, as many second- and third-class carriages were open top, leaving passengers to breathe in the smoke produced by steam engines. The illustration is attributed to ‘C.A.S’. It is possible that C.A.S refers to Charles Alexander Saunders who worked for the Great Western Railway until 1863. The artist and the date of creation remain unknown.