In the early 1870s, a painter named Camille Pissarro observed a steam engine leaving a station on the outskirts of London while standing on a railway footbridge. He was beginning to develop a plein-air painting style that would later be known as Impressionism. Pissarro, along with fellow painter Claude Monet, spent a brief time in London before participating in the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris in April 1874. Their works are currently featured in a retrospective at the Musée d’Orsay and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
During their time in London, Monet painted iconic landmarks such as the River Thames and the Palace of Westminster, while Pissarro focused on capturing the changing landscapes of the suburbs as urban development replaced forests and farmland. One of Pissarro’s paintings even depicted the neighborhood where the author’s wife grew up, showcasing a Victorian home on the canvas.
The author embarked on a project to explore Pissarro’s train paintings and their connection to London’s Victorian past. With the help of their father-in-law, a railroad history enthusiast, the author delved into the history of the old railway line that Pissarro had painted in 1871. The railway, now converted into a nature path, still holds remnants of its past as a bustling train route.
Pissarro’s paintings of London suburbs like Norwood and Upper Norwood captured a moment of urban transformation as the city expanded alongside new railway lines. The author’s exploration of these locations revealed the lasting impact of 19th-century development on London’s layout. Through visits to museums, walks in the winter landscape, and a ride on a vintage locomotive, the author gained insight into Pissarro’s perspective on London’s evolving cityscape.
Pissarro’s painting “Lordship Lane Station, Dulwich,” depicted a train approaching the viewer on tracks that once cut through open fields. Today, the scene has changed drastically, with the railway line closed and replaced by housing developments. The author’s visit to the Courtauld Gallery, where the painting now hangs, provided a glimpse into Britain’s railway heritage and the dramatic shift from rural to suburban landscapes captured by Pissarro.