The Gentleman who was Locked Up Because he Had Lost his Ticket

Cartoon, ink pen (stylic art), "The gentleman who was locked up, because he had lost his ticket", by C.A.S., a satirical comment on the railways' autocratic attitude to their passengers, depicting a man with luggage in a cell, about 1838 - 1843.

This is one of a series of cartoons satirising the early railways. This image shows a man who has been unfairly imprisoned for losing his ticket. This implies that the railway companies were overly harsh towards their passengers. Punishments for travelling without a ticket are less harsh today, but railway companies can levy fines on passengers unable to produce a valid ticket to travel. The illustration is attributed to ‘C.A.S’. It is possible that C.A.S refers to Charles Alexander Saunders who worked for the Great Western Railway until 1863. The artist and the date of creation remain unknown.