The Bayswater Omnibus

The early omnibus was a horse-drawn carriage drawn along a set route, picking up and dropping off passengers as it went. It was introduced in London on 4 July 1829 and soon became a popular form of transport catering mainly to the middle classes - the working classes would rarely be able to afford the fare, and upper classes could afford their own vehicle or to hire a

The scene is painted as if viewed by a person on one bench inside the omnibus, looking across at passengers on the other side of the carriage. The painting depicts, from left to right, a relatively poor mother accompanied by a young girl (modelled by the artist's wife and daughter) and carrying a baby; the central figure is a fashionably well-dressed young woman, with a long-handled

The side of the carriage behind and above the passengers is covered with advertising posters, including

The painting was exhibited at the

See also