In 1837, John Wilson Carmichael produced designs to illustrate a book of Views on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, a celebratory presentation of the new commercial freight railroad connecting two major northern cities. Here, Carmichael represents a viaduct crossing the estate of Henry Howard at Great Corby in Cumbria and juxtaposes boldly traditional agricultural life with the new steampowered rail network. The foreground harvesters are almost all women, apart from the male stewards, reflecting the fact that men were increasingly drawn off the land to supply labor for urban factories and heavy industry, including the construction of engineering projects such as the railways themselves. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016
