A Station Buffet 

Charles Samuel Keene made this drawing, A Station Buffet, with pen and brown ink on paper, sometime in the mid-19th century. As a regular contributor to the illustrated magazine Punch, Keene provided social commentary to a broad audience of Victorian readers. Here, the hurried scene of a station buffet is sketched with a quick hand. Keene presents to us a snapshot of British society during the Industrial Revolution. Notice how the artist’s attention to detail in clothing suggests a range of social classes, each brought together by the rise of railway travel. The image may also provide insight into Victorian social norms. For example, the presence of women and children suggests changing gender roles and family structures, reflecting broader shifts in Victorian society. Art historians research such social contexts through periodicals, literature, and other visual culture of the time. The meaning of art is contingent on this wider understanding of social and institutional histories.