Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway

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Rain, Steam, and Speed – The Great Western Railway
J.M.W. Turner, 1844
oil on canvas
91 × 121.8 cm
National Gallery, London

Rain, Steam, and Speed – The Great Western Railway is an oil painting by the 19th century British painter J.M.W. Turner.^[1]

This painting was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1844, though it may have been painted earlier. The date is significant because the railways were still new.

The Great Western Railway (GWR) was one of a number of private British railway companies created to develop the new means of transport. GWR’s aim was initially to connect Bristol with London; its chief engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The location of the painting is widely accepted as Maidenhead Railway Bridge, across the River Thames between Taplow and Maidenhead. The view is looking east towards London. The bridge was designed by Brunel and completed in 1838. The line from London Paddington to Taplow opened in 1838.

The painting is now in the collection of the National Gallery, London, England.