A-Level: J. M. W. Turner, Rain, Steam, and Speed — The Great Western Railway

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In a time when horses were the fastest mode of transit, the railroad was as radical as Turner’s abstraction.

Joseph Mallord William Turner, Rain, Steam, and Speed — The Great Western Railway, oil on canvas, 1844 (National Gallery, London)

Rain, Steam, and Speed — The Great Western Railway was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1844. It depicts the Maidenhead Railway Bridge (completed 1838) looking east, across the River Thames​ between Taplow and Maidenhead.

Cite this page as: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, "A-Level: J. M. W. Turner, Rain, Steam, and Speed — The Great Western Railway," in Smarthistory, May 18, 2017, accessed September 25, 2023, https://smarthistory.org/j-m-w-turner-rain-steam-and-speed-the-great-western-railway-2/.