Rediscovering First Class and Second Class by Abraham Solomon: Online Talk with Dr Elena Cooper

Event Information

How does a painting’s history change the way we encounter it today? In this talk, Dr Elena Cooper (CREATe, University of Glasgow) will rediscover Abraham Solomon’s paintings ‘First Class, the Meeting’ and ‘Second Class, the Parting’ for a present-day audience. Today the Victorian appearance of these paintings may distance our emotional connection. Yet, when first exhibited in 1854, the paintings broke new ground, as daring depictions of modern-life in new social spaces – railway carriages – made possible by then relatively new technological change.

A new strand of the history of these paintings – a parliamentary debate about copyright in 1858 – enables us to understand both paintings, and the stories that they tell, differently. In fact, Solomon’s work resonates strongly with themes that matter to us today, explored in the exhibitions which marked this Gallery’s 2026 reopening: art, social power and who has the right to speak.

Thanks to the generosity of Dr Elena Cooper and the University of Glasgow we are able to offer this as a free talk.  Should you wish to make a donation to the Gallery please select the amount from the options below.

Cancellations

In the unlikely event that we cancel a session, we will offer a full refund. Unfortunately tickets are otherwise non-refundable. Please contact us if you wish to transfer your ticket to a friend if you cannot attend for any reason.

If you have any questions about the event please contact us at art.gallery@southampton.gov.uk or call us on 023 8083 4536 (emails and phones are staffed weekdays 9am-5pm).

Image: ‘First Class, the Meeting’ by Abraham Solomon (1823–1862)