Stevengraph of The Present Time 60 Miles an Hour

“The Present Time” 60 miles an hour (STG 196, st 488, Godden 51). Described by Sprake as an early engine with two and a quarter carriages emerging from under a bridge on the right is about as accurate as you get. There is a signal to the left and a signal box towards which the train is travelling right to left. There are red flowering shrubs to the foreground. He included it as  2* rarity. Those who are conversant with early printing of any form will be familiar with red being the first migrant colour, so that this image is strong beard testament to its great original condition. Unusually, it is on a very late mount being E1. It is the “leathered” finish, thin italic script, and with “Woven in Silk” below the image. The period of this mount’s production was 1893-9. Meanwhile, the Trade Label is 31+39a which narrows the date of production down to 1-8 May 1901. The silk is 135 mm wide and 60 mm deep, the card 209 mm wide and 132 deep, and overall the condition id good. The silk is extremely well coloured.