A Pioneer of the Railway Age: The Life and Art of John Cooke Bourne John Cooke Bourne (1814–1896) occupies a singular position in art history – not as a painter of grand historical narratives or portraits of nobility, but as a chronicler of progress. He was an artist who turned his keen eye towards the burgeoning industrial landscape of Victorian England, specifically the dramatic construction of its railway network. While often categorized as an engraver and photographer, Bourne’s true mastery resided in his ability to translate the dynamism and scale of these engineering feats into compell…