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The Emigrants (Waiting for the Train) Two large figures, centrally placed, are on either side of a well-lit square column. The cast light illuminates and contrasts their figures from the rest of the composition. At left, a man stands, leaning on the column. His well-worn jacket is open and reveals a waistcoat, shirt and string tie. Loose fitting pants with frayed edges and a soft cap completes his attire. With his head upturned, he gazes to his left and has no visible sign of emotion. On the man’s left, the viewer’s right, a woman sits. Her head tilts diagonally, her placid features defined by cast light. She wears a patterned head scarf, as well as heavy garments that include a solid color shawl and skirt. The fringe on the shawl echoes the line of her facial features and the hem of her skirt. Between the figures rests a bag – closer to the man, and a wrapped hatbox – closer to the woman. The hatbox is wrapped in a patterned scarf. Several figures are placed in the shadow, behind the two central figures. Two gentlemen wear top hats: one looks at notices pasted on the wall, the other looks down at his hands. Further to the right, framed in the well-lit doorway, a woman appears to be walking to the foreground. Her vertical stance echoes the doorframe, standing men, column, and vertical emphasis of the leaning man. Together, these elements frame the sitting female. Background The centrally placed couple is among a group of figures waiting for a train from the Irish town of Nasloe. Their heavy and worn clothing, as well as their meager luggage, belies the fact that they are poor. Their forlorn expression indicates that this is a trip of necessity, not pleasure. It appears that they do not know of their future. By the mid-nineteenth century, the potato famine decimated much of the Irish population. Many Irish emigrated to the English midlands (Liverpool and Manchester) for work. It is intended for the viewer to sympathize with their situation due to their prominent position within the picture frame. But thou O land of many woes! Aubrey de Vere; The year of Sorrow – Ireland – 1849
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