The Tam O' Shanter, 1837, by W Rogers. The 'Tam O'Shanter' coach was on the Bristol to Exeter run at the time this painting was made and it used to leave the Rummer Hotel in High Street at 10am. It took nine hours to get to Exeter! The coach's name comes from Robbie Burns' poem and alludes to its fast speed; in the poem Tam rides so fast that he escapes from witches. Unusually, the artist has combined two fictional, historical figures with passengers of the 1830s. Tam O'Shanter himself is seen sitting up by the driver and the man in 18th-century dress on the back seat is probably Souter Johnny, his drinking companion in the poem. The pub is called the 'John O'Groats' and is part of the joke. The landscape is imaginary. Nothing is known about the artist, W. Rogers, although he may have been associated with a William Rogers who was a coach and harness maker in College Place, Bristol. The way he painted the coach, which is flat in appearance with all the details recorded, suggests he could have been involved in the coach making and painting trade.