Coach travellers tipped into water (IMAGE)
Caption
Traveller Refreshed in a Stagnant Pool, after the Fatigues of a Dusty Day's Journey, by Thomas Rowlandson (1809).
Bad roads contributed to many accidents, including vehicles turning over.
Until now, historians have focused on speed as the key marker of improvement, but diarists rarely mentioned speed. They were far more interested in safety and comfort. People wanted to get to their destination in one piece, and not totally dishevelled, because their carriage bounced them around or tipped them into a river. Getting there a bit faster wasn’t so important.
Credit
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Usage Restrictions
No restrictions.
License
Public Domain