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Notes
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Celebrated for his improvements to the steam engine, Watt was responsible for the invention of the separate condenser. In partnership with Matthew Boulton he produced many engines at their famous Soho Works, Birmingham, for pumping and as power sources which incorporated many inventions such as the double acting engine, the governor, and devices for translating linear to rotary motion such as the sun and planet gear and parallel motion. In his early years he made philosophical instruments at the University of Glasgow where he became the lifelong friend and correspondent of John Robison and Joseph Black. On hearing the outcome of Watt's legal case against Hornblower & Co., Black was delighted even to tears, saying, 'it is very foolish, but I can't help it, when I hear of anything good to Jamy Watt.
Title
James Watt (1736–1819), FRSE
Date
c.1828
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 123.5 x W 101.3 cm
Accession number
PCF01
Acquisition method
presented by the son of the sitter, James Watt, 1828
Work type
Painting