The Invicta railway ferry disembarked British passengers at Calais to catch their connecting passenger trains.

For British tourists, railway ferries were an essential part of travel in Europe for much of the twentieth century. They frequently appeared in railway paintings and posters.

Cuneo may have been influenced by earlier artists, particularly Norman Wilkinson, who often depicted the ferries and their promise of exciting trips abroad.

Terence Cuneo (1907-96) was an artist of exceptional skill, range and popularity.

He depicted military history, state and public occasions, industry and technology, wildlife, and even portraiture. Today he is best known for his railway paintings.

As a child he sketched steam locomotives, before becoming an illustrator of boys’ books and magazines.

His big break came with commissions to create posters for the London, Midland & Scottish Railway, London & North Eastern Railway and British Railways.

Cuneo received many commissions in the final days of his beloved steam. Steam services were retired from the national passenger network by 1968.

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: National Railway Museum, York
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: Terence Cuneo (1907-96)
Date: 1952

Image Details
Date: 17 September 2026
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Telephoto Camera 52mm ƒ/2.4
Focal Length: 52mm
Aperture: ƒ/2.4
Shutter Speed: 1/60s
ISO: 320
Licensing: Image of a Science Museum Group Collection asset. This image cannot be licensed.