'Watt's first experiment with steam', c 1745.
Engraving by James Scott, after a painting by Robert William Buss. The Scottish engineer and instrument maker James Watt (1736-1819) is shown here, as a child at the tea table, observing a steaming kettle. Watt went on to invent the modern steam engine, which became the main source of power in British textile mills during the Industrial Revolution. His engine had a separate condenser through which steam from the cylinder was passed and cooled, allowing the engine to remain hot, thus reducing fuel consumption. The SI (international standard) unit of power, the watt (W), is named after him. Published by the Lloyd Brothers, 1849. Dimensions: 496mm x 550mm.
