Pleasures of the Rail-Road - Caught in the Rail-way, 1831 (hand coloured etching on paper)

By Henry Heath (1801-1858) View of men, women, a girl and a dog trying to get out of the way of a steam locomotive which is mowing them down due to the inattention of the driver and fireman, one of whom is reading a newspaper, the other being asleep with his arms folded. The image features the locomotive `Northumbrian' which made its first run on the opening day of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in September 1830. It was on that occasion and from that train that the unfortunate William Huskisson, MP for Liverpool, stepped only to be knocked down and killed by `Rocket' coming in the opposite direction. Henry Heath (1801-1858) was a draughtsman, etcher of political caricatures and lithographer who switched from etching to lithography in 1831. In 1846, following the death of his wife Mary, he emigrated with two of his surviving sons to Australia on the ship ‘Calcutta’, travelling as Henry Heath Glover. Having first run a pub, Heath continued to produce art and many of his works are now held at Australia's National and State Libraries. Heath died in Adelaide in 1858. Published (not necessarily legitimately) by Sigismond Gans (1860-1861). Gans was a German-born print publisher specialising in caricatures and satires. He operated from 15 Southampton Street London between 1829 and 1831; by 1851 he was living at 44 Regent Square, St Pancras and operating as a bill broker.