The Railway Station: A Painting by William Powell Frith
A snapshot of Victorian life that was extremely popular when first exhibited and is still much loved today
William Powell Frith (1819–1909) was unusual among artists in that he originally wanted to have a steady job (as an auctioneer) but his parents persuaded him to exploit his talents with the paintbrush. It is usually the other way round!
His early career was as a portrait painter, but his fame rests on three large canvases that he painted between 1854 and 1862. These were “Life at the Seaside”, “Derby Day” and “The Railway Station”. These are scenes that portray a large number of people engaged in activities associated with those settings, and which the viewer can spend a long time looking at to see everything that is going on. They could perhaps be regarded as the Victorian equivalent of “Where’s Wally”!
The first two paintings were highly popular, especially “Derby Day” which earned Frith £1,500. He was then commissioned by Louis Flatow, an art dealer, to paint “The Railway Station”, the fee being the huge sum of £5,250. Flatow recovered his costs several times over by exhibiting the painting and selling reproductions. More than 21,000 people paid to see it when it was exhibited in London. The painting is signed and dated…
