Going North, King's Cross & Perth Station, going South

The pair of paintings are later versions of works exhibited at Royal Academy 1876 & 1877. The pictures are celebrations of prosperity, privilege, and also the romance of train travel. The exactness with which Earl records his scenes reflects his training in close observation, essential to an artist specialising in the representation of different breeds and types of animal. He has clearly delighted in studying the paraphernalia with which his subjects travel: gun-eases, fishing rods, golf clubs, nets, baskets, picnic hampers, hat boxes, trunks, and fur travelling rugs abound. Coming south there are grouse and antlers to complete the picture. His observation of male and female fashion is equally acute and is fascinating for the modern spectator because their style is recorded with almost obsessive veracity. These works were acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.