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Creator:
James Pollard, 1792–1867, British
Title:

The Last of the Mail Coaches at Newcastle upon Tyne

Former Title(s):

`The Last of the Mail Coaches': the Edinburgh-London Royal Mail at Newcastle upon Tyne, 5 July 1847

Date:
1848
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
Support (PTG): 18 x 27 inches (45.7 x 68.6 cm)
Inscription(s)/Marks/Lettering:

Signed and dated in brown paint, lower left: "J. Pollard | 1848"

Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B2001.2.281
Classification:
Paintings
Collection:
Paintings and Sculpture
Link to Frame:
B2001.2.281FR
Subject Terms:
bridle | carriage | coach | costume | flag | harness | historical subject | horses (animals) | industry | quirt | reins | reins | smoke | street lights | transport | Victorian
Associated Places:
England | Europe | Newcastle | Newcastle upon Tyne | United Kingdom
Access:
Not on view
Link:
https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:42445
Export:
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IIIF Manifest:
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Pollard shows the arrival of the Edinburgh-London Royal Mail coach in Newcastle for the last time on 5 July 1847, having been superseded by the railroad. To mark the sad occasion the coachman and guard wore black mourning bands in their hats and flew the Union flag at half mast, surmounted by a banner of black crêpe. "It was impossible to record the death of the mail coach without regret," reported the Newcastle Journal, "for it really was a noble establishment, and not many years ago was looked upon as one of the glories of the country, of which the public had just cause to be proud. But, it is gone, after a reign of not more than sixty-one years . . . The horses of the various contractors of the line are announced for sale by auction." Pollard painted the scene for his friend and patron Edward Macnamara, who at this time was the sole contractor for the distribution of the mail - by horse and cart - within London.

Malcolm Warner

Warner, Malcolm and John Baskett. The Paul Mellon Bequest: Treasures of a Lifetime. New Haven : Yale Center for British Art, 2001, p. 113

The Paul Mellon Bequest : Treasures of a Lifetime (Yale Center for British Art, 2001-02-17 - 2001-04-29) [YCBA Objects in the Exhibition]

Roads to Rails - Revolution in British Transport (Yale Center for British Art, 1992-04-15 - 1992-06-28) [YCBA Objects in the Exhibition]

Painting in England 1700-1850, collection of Mr. & Mrs. Paul Mellon. , Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA, 1963, p. 191 (v.1), no. 365, pl. 152, ND466 V57 v.1-2 (YCBA) [YCBA]

Sotheby's sale catalogue : Fine paintings and drawings of the English school :19 April 1961, Sotheby's, London, April 19, 1961, p. 43, lot 172, Auction Catalogue (YCBA) [YCBA]

Malcolm Warner, The Paul Mellon Bequest : treasures of a lifetime, , Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT, 2001, p. 113, N5247 M385 P28 2001 (YCBA) [YCBA]


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