James Nasmyth, 1808 - 1890. Inventor of the steam hammer (Self-portrait)
About this artwork
James Nasmyth was the youngest child in the painter Alexander Nasmyth's large and talented family. He became an engineer and is best known for his invention of the steam hammer. He also had a passion for astronomy, building his own telescopes and publishing a paper about the surface of the moon in 1874. This self-portrait, honestly depicting himself as an elderly and tired man, shows that he had inherited his share of artistic skill alongside his mechanical genius.
Updated before 2020
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artist:James Nasmyth (1808 - 1890) Scottish
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title:James Nasmyth, 1808 - 1890. Inventor of the steam hammer (Self-portrait)
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date created:1881
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materials:Pastel on paper
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measurements:24.60 x 17.20 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1950
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accession number:PG 1547
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gallery:
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depicted:
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subject:
James Nasmyth
James Nasmyth
James Nasmyth was one of the leading engineers of the nineteenth century, and his principal inventions were the steam hammer and the pile driver which changed the landscape of the industrial world. He was the son of the landscape painter, Alexander Nasmyth, who taught him drawing. He was an...