Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1857)
Once the runner up to the title of “greatest Briton of all time,” Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806 – 1859) dominated engineering in the 1800s through his efforts that revolutionized Great Britain. The London-based Design Museum attributes the construction of multiple railway lines, countless bridges (five of which were suspension bridges), a military field hospital, and three ships to Brunel. Robert Howlett captured this scene in 1857, where Brunel stands among the titanic anchor of the Great Eastern, a majestic steamship of his creation. The ship dwarfed any other vessel to sail during his time, being six times huger than anything which floated. The pioneer referred to the enormous ship as “Great Babe.”
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
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