[The Stern of the Great Eastern]
Robert Howlett British
Not on view
Howlett, a partner at the Photographic Institution, a leading professional studio in London, was commissioned by the London Times in 1857 to document the construction of the steamship the Great Eastern. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, arguably the greatest engineer of his time, the giant ship had been four years in the making and had generated unabated interest and controversy. At 692 feet in length and 22,500 tons, it weighed six times as much as any ship yet built and was to be propelled by all the technology then available-screw, paddle, and sail. Because of its size, it had to be launched sideways, foot by foot, and an unprecedented three months were required to do so. Howlett made this image sometime before November 3, 1857, the day of the official launching.
