Newcastle on Tyne c. 19th century

Curator: Thomas Goff Lupton created this print, "Newcastle on Tyne." There is no firm date for the work. Editor: It strikes me as quite serene, given that it depicts an industrial port city. The lounging figures in the foreground create such a calm foreground. Curator: Indeed, there's a fascinating juxtaposition at play. Consider Newcastle's history—a hub of coal mining and shipbuilding. The print shows labor on the river, but also speaks to leisure and the emergent class dynamics of the era. Editor: Looking closely, you can see the belching smokestacks in the distance. This really emphasizes the intersection of industrial production and daily life that defined that period. The labor that defined the region shaped its materiality too. Curator: And consider the gender dynamics! The composition invites us to question who had the privilege to relax on that riverbank, and who was excluded. It’s a visual representation of societal hierarchies. Editor: It is a potent reminder of how labor, landscape, and leisure are inextricably connected. It’s really quite thought-provoking.