Mail Coach Incidents: The Dover-London Royal Mail (Primary Title)
Charles Cooper Henderson, English, 1803 - 1877 (Artist)
In these four scenes, Henderson chronicles the trials and challenges faced by the Royal Mail Coach as it traveled throughout England. Identified by its distinctive red wheels, the royal coat of arms emblazoned on its side, and the guard dressed in royal livery at the rear, the Mail Coach connected distant parts of the country to London from 1794 until the middle of the 19th century. The journey was arduous: coaches frequently ran at night over rough roads, stopping rarely (except to change horses every seven to ten miles). Henderson’s lively and detailed style is ideally suited to describing different times of day and locales, as well as incidents such as the fall of a horse.
Signed and dated in lower left, J.F. Herring 1826
Paul Mellon Collection
2018-2019: "A Sporting Vision: The Paul Mellon Collection of British Sporting Art from the VMFA", National Sporting Museum & Library, Middleburg, VA, April 13 - July 22, 2018; Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN, February 2 - May 5, 2019; Frick Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, June 15 - September 8, 2019
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
