The London & York Royal Mail Coach 1879

Editor: So, here we have Thomas Stevens' "The London & York Royal Mail Coach" from 1879, a textile work with water colours. I am immediately struck by the sheer level of detail rendered entirely with stitching. What jumps out at you about this piece? Curator: I'm interested in the context of textile production at this time. Stevens was known for his "Stevengraphs"—woven silk pictures produced on Jacquard looms. These were mass-produced objects, affordable luxuries for the rising middle class, reflecting their aspirations and anxieties about a rapidly changing industrial world. How does the mode of production, the factory setting, influence the image of the Royal Mail Coach? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn't considered the impact of mass production on something seemingly so handcrafted. Do you think it elevated or diminished the cultural perception of the Royal Mail Coach itself? Curator: It does both. On the one hand, reproducing it in this way made it an accessible and even aspirational symbol, bringing the spectacle of the Royal Mail into homes across the country. At the same time, its mass production arguably stripped away some of its unique value by becoming just another manufactured good. What about the materials themselves? Why textile, rather than paint? Editor: Perhaps the use of textile connects it to the domestic sphere, embedding the scene of public transportation within the intimacy of the home, or is it perhaps merely more economical? Curator: Precisely! The choice of textile as the medium is critical; consider the associations with domestic craft and labor, but also with trade. Stevens essentially manufactured nostalgia, embedding it within the fabric of Victorian society. I never thought of it that way before! Thank you.