SKYLIGHT VIEW—A RAILWAY STATION 

John Leech's "Skylight View—A Railway Station" offers a fascinating glimpse into the organized chaos of Victorian travel. Amidst the bustle, we see a proliferation of luggage, carefully stacked and toted. These aren't mere containers; they are symbols of journeys, both physical and psychological. The boxes evoke ancient coffers holding personal treasures or trade goods, echoing the migrations of people across time. The sheer number of them also speaks to the psychological weight of travel, the anxieties and expectations bound up in leaving one's familiar space. One might compare these traveling accessories to those depicted in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings. Though separated by millennia, both represent the human urge to carry memories and provisions from one realm to another. This act of packing is, in essence, a ritual, a preparation for the unknown, deeply embedded in our collective memory. These scenes create a shared emotional experience that bridges time and place.