Collections | Great Inventions of the 19th Century | Transportation [89 Objects, 11 Monuments]

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Islamic pottery from Ephesus

Excavated 1870; 14-15th century

The British Museum

London, United Kingdom

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Islamic pottery from Ephesus

Excavated 1870; 14-15th century

The British Museum

London, United Kingdom

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View of Istanbul: the Valide Sultan Mosque and the port

19th century

National Library of France

Paris, France

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 Justification for this item

The port of Eminönü developed in the 19th century as a modern landmark in the centre of Istanbul, where both ancient and modern buildings – mosques, palaces and Sirkeci station for the Orient Express – were located.

View of Istanbul: the Valide Sultan Mosque and the port

19th century

National Library of France

Paris, France

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The railway

19th century

National Library of France

Paris, France

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The railway

19th century

National Library of France

Paris, France

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Dhow collection

19th century

National Museum of Qatar

Doha, Qatar

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 Justification for this item

In spite of the introduction of steamships and innovations in seafaring, traditional ships and seafaring did not disappear, both representing a main source of income. The dhow is a traditional wooden ship of Qatar and the Gulf, which was used for pearling, fishing and for trade with India and East Africa.

Dhow collection

19th century

National Museum of Qatar

Doha, Qatar

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Silverware used on the Orient Express

19th century

Istanbul Railway Museum

Istanbul, Turkey

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 Justification for this item

The Orient Express evokes ideas of luxurious and innovative transport, long journeys and fascinating cities. The train connected Paris to Istanbul and its first journey was inaugurated in 1883. Its terminal in Istanbul was Sirkeci railway station, on the European side of the city beside Topkapı palace and Eminönü port.

Silverware used on the Orient Express

19th century

Istanbul Railway Museum

Istanbul, Turkey

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Convoy of pilgrims

19th century

Istanbul University, Nadir Eserler Kütüphanesi (Rare Books Library)

Istanbul, Turkey

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Convoy of pilgrims

19th century

Istanbul University, Nadir Eserler Kütüphanesi (Rare Books Library)

Istanbul, Turkey

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Convoy of pilgrims

19th century

Istanbul University, Nadir Eserler Kütüphanesi (Rare Books Library)

Istanbul, Turkey

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Convoy of pilgrims

19th century

Istanbul University, Nadir Eserler Kütüphanesi (Rare Books Library)

Istanbul, Turkey

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Anatolian Railways

19th century

Istanbul University, Nadir Eserler Kütüphanesi (Rare Books Library)

Istanbul, Turkey

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 Justification for this item

The Ottoman railways were first begun in 1856. The first railway in Anatolia was built between Izmir and Aydın, to connect the port of Izmir with the interior.

Anatolian Railways

19th century

Istanbul University, Nadir Eserler Kütüphanesi (Rare Books Library)

Istanbul, Turkey

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The port of Galaţi

First half of the 19th century

National Museum of Romanian History

Bucharest, Romania

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 Justification for this item

Galati (Moldavia) was a port on the Danube waterway strategically and economically organised at the international level. The only port not controlled by the Sublime Porte or Russia, Galati traded with Poland, Hungary and the Ottoman market. A free port between 1837 and 1883, it was the seat of the Commission of the Danube at the end of the Crimean War.

The port of Galaţi

First half of the 19th century

National Museum of Romanian History

Bucharest, Romania

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Frith photograph

uncertain

Victoria and Albert Museum

London, United Kingdom

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 Justification for this item

The fresh water canal drew drinking water from the Nile river for the workers building the Suez Canal. Ismailia hosted offices and workers. There was an Arab village, a railway station and some large buildings including the Khedive’s palace and the chalet of Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French diplomant responsible for construction of the Suez Canal.

Frith photograph

uncertain

Victoria and Albert Museum

London, United Kingdom

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Construction of the Bordeaux bridge in 1821

c. 1821

National Library of France

Paris, France

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 Justification for this item

Early in the 19th century, new construction techniques were applied to the building of roads and bridges. The construction of public roads facilitated industrialisation and the use of new means of transport.

Construction of the Bordeaux bridge in 1821

c. 1821

National Library of France

Paris, France

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Map of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia

1827

Austrian State Archives

Vienna, Austria

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 Justification for this item

After the Congress of Vienna (1815), Austria annexed the territories of northern Italy, and the city of Venice, formerly a republic, became part of the Kingdom of Lombardo-Venezia. Austria absorbed the Venetian trade routes on the Adriatic Sea towards the Ottoman Empire introducing infrastructure, as this map of the postal routes shows.

Map of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia

1827

Austrian State Archives

Vienna, Austria

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Drawing of the railway bridge between the mainland and Venice

c. 1830

Austrian State Archives

Vienna, Austria

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 Justification for this item

The modernisation of seafaring in the Mediterranean was on the political and economic agenda of the Austrian Empire. After the Congress of Vienna (1815) Venice was incorporated in the Kingdom of Lombardo-Venezia. Austria considered Venice to be the gateway to the Middle East and introduced a railway to connect the port of Venice to the core of the empire.

The First Train in Spain: Inaugurated 28 October 1848

1848

National Museum of Decorative Arts

Madrid, Spain

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 Justification for this item

This poster was created for the inauguration of the railway connecting Barcelona and Matarò (two important industrial hubs) in Spain. The poster highlights the deep impact of technology on the popular imagination, showing both the railway and a steamship in the background, as a celebration of a new era deeply transformed by technological innovations.

The First Train in Spain: Inaugurated 28 October 1848

1848

National Museum of Decorative Arts

Madrid, Spain

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Panoramic view of the Isthmus of the Suez, tracing the canal between the two seas

1855

National Library of France

Paris, France

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 Justification for this item

Louis Maurice Adolphe Linant de Bellefonds, also known as Linant Bey, was a French painter, traveller and explorer. In Egypt, he collaborated with Muhammad ‘Ali Pasha and Said Pasha and was appointed as director of public works. He was one of the experts the governors hired in order to acquire technical know-how.

The private carriage of Queen Maria Pia

c. 1853

National Railway Museum of Portugal

Entroncamento, Portugal

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 Justification for this item

The train was seen as a modern means of transport, highlighted by the fact that as an innovation it reflected the social structures of the period. In the mid-19th century, European sovereigns had their own private carriages, a visible expression of their power and modernity.

The private carriage of Queen Maria Pia

c. 1853

National Railway Museum of Portugal

Entroncamento, Portugal

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Firman issued by Sultan Abdülmecid for the construction of the Constanţa–Cernavodă railway

1857

Romanian Railways Museum

Bucharest, Romania

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 Justification for this item

The modernisation of seafaring went side by side with the construction of railways to improve the efficiency of trade between ports and significant locations. The first railway on Romanian territory and in the European part of the Ottoman Empire, the Constanţa–Cernavodă railway was built after the Crimean War in a strategic position from the Black Sea towards the Danubian waterways.

La Goulette

1861

Institut Supérieur d’Histoire Contemporaine de la Tunisie

La Manouba, Tunis, Tunisia

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 Justification for this item

The port of La Goulette was restored by Muhammad al-Sadiq Bey as part of his programme of reforms to reinforce the economy, administration and military power of the Regency of Tunis. The aim was to make the port of Tunis a modern port for ships of big tonnage, connected to railways and other infrastructure.

La Goulette

1861

Institut Supérieur d’Histoire Contemporaine de la Tunisie

La Manouba, Tunis, Tunisia

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The Opening of the Suez Canal

1863

Revoltella Civic Museum

Trieste, Italy

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 Justification for this item

This marble sculpture was commissioned by Pasquale Revoltella to celebrate the Suez Canal. He was a businessman from Trieste (the main commercial port of the Austro-Hungarian empire up to the end of World War I) and vice president of the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez.

The Opening of the Suez Canal

1863

Revoltella Civic Museum

Trieste, Italy

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The Suez Canal

1864

Revoltella Civic Museum

Trieste, Italy

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 Justification for this item

This painting was commissioned by Pasquale Revoltella to celebrate the innovation of the Suez Canal. He was a businessman from Trieste (the main commercial port of the Austro-Hungarian empire up to the end of the World War I) and vice-president of the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez.

The Suez Canal

1864

Revoltella Civic Museum

Trieste, Italy

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