Augustus Leopold Egg, The Travelling Companions - 1862 by Atelier Liesjes

The portrait shows two well-dressed women sitting across from each other in a cramped first-class train carriage, like mirrors. The ladies may be sisters or may represent two elements of one woman's character.

The women are dressed identically, in the same voluminous grey silk travel clothing, with their hats identical on their laps. They are placed symmetrically on chairs on either side of the car window. The window frames the view like a triptych. The coastline of Menton, on the French Riviera, is visible through the window. The train is moving, witness the waving brush on the window curtain. The carriage itself is symmetrical, just like the women.

The symmetry is broken by a number of small differences. The woman on the right is reading a book; her hair is tied, she is wearing gloves and a bouquet of flowers is lying next to her. The red feather in her hat is neatly groomed. The woman opposite her sleeps, her hair loose, with bare hands and a fruit basket next to her. The feather in her hat is a bit frayed. The painting can be read as a Victorian version of William Hogarth's Industry and Idleness.

Menton is located in the department Alpes-Maritimes and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Menton lies on the Italian border on the dividing line in the French Côte d'Azur the city is called the "pearl of France".

Augustus Leopold Egg (London 2 May 1816 - 26 March 1863 Algiers) was a Victorian artist.