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Design for the exterior decoration of a railway carriage made for Frederick VII, King of Denmark
Stevens, Alfred, born 1817 - died 1875 - Enlarge image
Design for the exterior decoration of a railway carriage made for Frederick VII, King of Denmark
- Object:
Design
- Place of origin:
London, England (made)
- Date:
1848 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Stevens, Alfred, born 1817 - died 1875 (maker)
- Materials and Techniques:
Pen and ink and watercolour
- Museum number:
418-1895
- Gallery location:
Prints & Drawings Study Room, level E, case A, shelf 127
The railway companies soon realized that passenger traffic would be a lucrative market. This was unexpected, because they had been set up for goods trains. In 1842 they persuaded Queen Victoria to travel by train from Slough in Berkshire to Paddington in London. This established railway travel as a respectable and safe manner of transport. But there were no precedents for passenger vehicles. Designers had to find a suitable decorative form that would express the grandeur of royalty within the constraints of the new technology. Alfred Stevens (1817-1875) was asked to provide a design suitable for a royal coach. This Italianate carriage is the result.
