The Deserted Train
As David Alexander has argued in a private email to me, this entry in the British Museum catalogue may be an error. There is no presently no image of the print available from the British Museum, but its Description and Inscription make it sound exactly like The Deserted Village which IS available for comparison from the Lewis Walpole Library.
Description
In the foreground a father and daughter leaving the village, as she says her farewell to her lover, with other families preparing to emigrate in the background; an oval composition. 1784 Engraving and stipple, printed in brown.
Inscription
Lettered with artist's name, title, two columns with ten lines of verse below image and publication details: "Design'd & Engrav'd by James Gillray / Publidh'd June 4th 1784 by Rt. Wilkinson No 58 Cornhill, London", and with a dedication by the publisher of this plate and its companion to Miss Henrietta Gertrude Hotham.
© Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University
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I have written to the British Museum to clarify the issue. But until I hear from them, there are two possible explanations. One is that The Deserted Train is a second state or version of The Deserted Village with the title changed. If so two further questions would arise: Which state was first? And why was the title changed? The other explanation is that the print doesn't exist except as a clerical error.
Sources and Reading
- Commentary from the British Museum on The Deserted Train
- Draper Hill, Mr. Gillray The Caricaturist, 1965, pp. 26-29
- Oliver Goldsmith, Full text of "The Deserted Village," Bartleby.com
- "The Deserted Village," Wikipedia
Comments & Corrections
NOTE: Comments and/or corrections are always appreciated. To make that easier, I have included a form below that you can use. I promise never to share any of the info provided without your express permission.