George Hawkins after Joseph Walter.

This plate of The Great Britain Steam Ship constructed of iron by Tho.s R. Guppy Esq...

21½ x 15 inches

This fabulous image shows the SS Great Britain in all its majesty, cutting through the waves and outmanoeuvring the more traditional sailing ships in both prowess and speed.

There is so much to say about this extraordinary ship but perhaps most significantly it was the product of one of the greatest engineers to have ever lived, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It was Brunel who designed the SS Great Britain as the first ship ever to combine an iron construction with a 1000 hp steam engine and a screw propeller. The result of this vision was the largest passenger ship the world had ever seen, launched in Bristol in 1843 amidst great pomp and in the presence of HRH Prince Albert. Little wonder that people marvelled at its construction and were excited by its capabilities. In its heyday of the 1840s and 50s the ship carried thousands of people across the Atlantic between Britain and New York. Latterly she became pivotal in the transportation of emigres to Australia. An ignoble end to this magnificent ship was averted in 1970 when the SS Great Britain was rescued from obscurity on the Falkland Islands and returned to dry dock in Bristol where she was repaired and remains to this day as both a successful tourist attraction and a fitting testament to the genius of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.