Victorine Meurent was one of Manet’s favourite models during the 1860’s and serves as the woman left, while the girl on the right is the daughter of a fellow painter. The scene for this paintings is an isolated bench with a view of Gare Saint–Lazare, the largest and busiest train station in Paris at the time, though it was painted in girl’s family garden. The industrial advancements happening around Europe often influenced the work of contemporary painters, many featured trains in some of their paintings. The Railway was one of two Manet paintings that were accepted in the Paris Salon of 1974, and while it was accepted into the show, it was met with some poor feedback due to that lack of focus on the booming train station.

SKU: 7191
Creator: Edouard Manet
Date: 1873
Original Medium: oil on canvas
Original Size: 36 3/4 x 43 7/8 in.
Location: National Gallery of Art