North Midland Railway.

maker:
Day and Haghe

Lithograph (reproduction). North Midland Railway. View through the Belper Cutting looking North. (Original lithograph drawn and lithographed by S Russell; printed by Day and Haghe, Lithographers to the Queen. 1840).

This print was published in 1840, the same year the North Midland Railway opened. The line’s route ran right through the centre of the town of Belper, which required a deep ‘cutting’ – a type of excavation that carves a route through rock or dirt. Lined with finely worked stone and crossed by ten closely spaced bridges that connected the existing roads above, the cutting has the striking look of a man-made gorge.

Details of the artist Samuel Russell’s life remain scarce. Like his contemporaries Thomas Talbot Bury and John Cooke Bourne, Russell’s early depictions of the railway were immensely significant in shaping the railways’ public image during the nineteenth century. It has been estimated that no fewer than 2,000 prints of railway subjects were produced during the years 1830 to the late 1840s, and scarcely a line opened without at least one view of its engineering accomplishments being published. It is difficult for us today to understand the emotional as well as financial commitment to railways during these early years. The railway was often seen as a slowly spreading symbol of change and progress towards a better world.

The printing firm Day & Haghe, appointed lithographers to the Queen in 1838, published a diverse range of prints, including architectural and topographical views, hunting scenes, and—as shown here—views of the railways.

It has been estimated that no fewer than 2,000 prints of railway subjects were produced during the years 1830 to the late 1840s, and scarcely a line opened without at least one view of its engineering accomplishments being published. It is difficult for us today to understand the emotional as well as financial commitment to railways during these early years. The railway was often seen as a slowly spreading symbol of change and progress towards a better world.

Details

Category:
Pictorial Collection (Railway)
Object Number:
1978-1791
type:
print and lithograph