In the Image of the Grand Tour

Abstract

This article analyzes depictions of railway 'travelling' — spanning from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century — in order to answer several research questions related to leisure travel and artwork. An examination of tourism, as experienced at Amsterdam Centraal station, Frankfurt am Main Hauptbahnhof, and Amsterdam Muiderpoort, looks at leisure travel images as conveyed through artwork. Included in the analysis is a discussion of the embellishments and allegorical elements used by the artists. It is noted that much of the railway station artwork is iconographic in depicting travel. 'Grand Tour' scenes of landscapes, townscapes or scenes from antiquity are typical. Other leisure travel iconography involved statuary representing various types of travelers (e.g., business travelers, students, honeymooning couples) or stained glass windows showing migratory birds on their twice-yearly flight from cold to warm climates. Also explored is how successful the artists were in using their artwork to communicate messages to a broad general audience about tourism in general and, more specifically, about railway company achievements.