Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower: From the Quai de Javel (Switchman's Shanty)
Medium
color lithograph
Dimensions
image: 17 × 21.2 cm · sheet: 22.3 × 26.8 cm
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of John Bonebrake
Accession Number
2003.393
Tags
male
About this artwork
The switchman’s principal duty was to switch tracks to direct an oncoming train to its destination, regulate a train’s speed, and signal the open track to the train conductor. The red and white checkered flag was used for the latter purpose and was placed on the side of the open tracks. The switchman was also responsible for manning the telegraph, whose white poles line the opposite side of the tracks. When he was off duty, the switchman grew vegetables on the bank bordering the railway, as was ...