As of: February 29, 2024, 8:29 a.m
By: Elisa Buhrke
Comments
Press
Split
The portrait of William Wilson only measures about seven by five and a half centimeters - but its historical value is enormous.
© Deutsche Bahn Foundation/Oliver Lang
An unexpected letter reveals a sensation for the DB Museum.
A historical portrait, hidden in a cigar box, shows Germany's first train driver.
Nuremberg - The DB Museum Nuremberg has achieved an unexpected legacy in the form of an inconspicuous cigar box.
However, there was no tobacco in it, but a small work of art: a porcelain painting of William Wilson, the legendary engine driver of the Adler locomotive that ran on Germany's first railway line between Nuremberg and Fürth.
Lost portrait of Germany's first train driver turns up
Seen in the painting: Wilson, in contemporary men's clothing, in the background his work route, the route of the Ludwig Railway in front of Nuremberg Castle.
The painting measures just seven by five and a half centimeters.
But that is precisely an indication that the man depicted really corresponds to the appearance of Wilson at the time, explains Janina Baur, an employee at the DB Museum Nuremberg: Such small portraits were often given away in an intimate and private setting, for example to the family.
“That’s what it looked like, there’s probably nothing embellished here.”
In fact, the painting was in the family's possession for 184 years - now one of Wilson's great-grandsons has bequeathed it to the museum.
A letter from the Frankfurt district court announced the surprise.
“Basically very, very little remains from the early days of the German railway,” says Baur.
This is precisely why painting has a “historically truly priceless value”.
(Our Nuremberg newsletter informs you about all developments, news and stories
from the Franconian metropolis.)
The train driver was a crowd favorite in Nuremberg
William Wilson, also known as the “tall Englishman”, came from Newcastle to Nuremberg on the Adler locomotive in 1835, writes the DB Museum on its website.
The young man was a respected employee at the world's first locomotive factory, Robert Stephenson and Company.
He accompanied the Adler on its seven-week journey from northern England to Franconia, where he led the assembly of the locomotive and trained engine drivers.
After the transport crates arrived, Wilson assembled the locomotive, carried out test runs and opened the first route on December 7, 1835. From then on he drove the Adler from Nuremberg to Fürth and back twice a day.
My news
Desperately looking for a home: read “Bronco has already spent a third of his short life in the animal shelter”.
Explosion rocks campsite – caravan engulfed in flames
“It was good that I was already sitting”: Fränkin wins almost 50 million euros in the lottery
Surprising ranking on quality of life: Franconian city lands ahead of Rome and New York
Stem cell donor saved Ben's life - and more than ten years later traveled to the USA for his wedding read
Body transported away in carpet: neighbor alerts the police - men provide unusual explanations
This Adler locomotive is a reconstruction of the original vehicle.
As can be seen, the train drivers worked from an open cab.
© DB Museum/Mike Beims
It was originally planned that Wilson would only stay in Nuremberg for eight months, explains Baur.
But things turned out differently: as a pioneer of rail transport, he soon enjoyed such great popularity that significantly more passengers traveled with him on his journeys than other train drivers.
In addition, he was probably “paid very well,” says Baur – because Wilson was not only a platoon leader, but also an engineer.
Last but not least, it was love that kept him in Franconia: Even though as a foreigner he was not allowed to marry a German, he had a relationship with a woman from Nuremberg and fathered a daughter with her.
Portrait of the first train driver in the collection of the DB Museum – meet and greet planned
Wilson became seriously ill in 1842 and died in 1862 at the age of 52.
“We expect strenuous work,” says Baur.
The job as a train driver then and now is drastically different: the “tall Englishman” still had to work from an open driver's cab and was therefore defenseless against the weather and the smoke from the locomotive.
The small portrait that Wilson shows so realistically is a souvenir of Germany's first train driver.
It is currently in the collection of the DB Museum.
Baur cannot yet say when it will be shown in the exhibition - a showcase and an information board would have to be provided.
However, the museum is planning a “meet and greet” in the first half of 2024, where those interested can view the painting exclusively.
Exactly when will be announced on its website shortly.
You can find more news in our Merkur.de app, now in an improved design with more personalization functions.
Direct download, more information can be found here.
Are you an enthusiastic user of WhatsApp?
Merkur.de will now keep you up to date via a new Whatsapp channel.
Click here to go directly to the channel.