Sir William Thomson, Baron Kelvin, 1824 - 1907. Scientist
About this artwork
Thomson was born in Belfast but moved to Glasgow when he was nine. As a student at the universities of Glasgow, Cambridge and Paris, he made his mark in mathematical physics. At twenty-two he was appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow where he set up the first university physics laboratory in Britain. Throughout his life he worked on thermodynamics – the science of energy and its conservation. His work establishing the value of absolute zero led to the scientific temperature scale being named the ‘Kelvin scale’ in his honour. Ever keen to apply his research to practical uses, Thomson supervised the laying of the Atlantic telegraph cable on the sea bed from 1857-66. For a number of decades he was recognised as the pre-eminent figure in the science world.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Archibald McFarlane Shannan (1850 - 1915) Scottish
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title:Sir William Thomson, Baron Kelvin, 1824 - 1907. Scientist
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date created:Dated 1896
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materials:Bronze
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measurements:72.40 cm (height)
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1909
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accession number:PG 681
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gallery:
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depicted:
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subject:
Archibald McFarlane Shannan
Archibald McFarlane Shannan
Born in Glasgow, Shannan began his career as an apprentice stonemason to his father. This led to him travelling to the Cameroons, West Africa, to help supervise the construction of sanatoria and then on to the USA, where he oversaw the construction of state buildings in Texas. Back in the UK,...