Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway

         1844 J. M. W. Turner | National Gallery, London | art: painting

A steam train crosses Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Maidenhead Railway Bridge between Taplow and Maidenhead across the River Thames. The train is travelling west from London, while the abrupt foreshortening of the viaduct in the background suggests a high speed and the coming of a new age. Oil on canvas.