
3 0 c m
40cm
actual image size: 32cm x 22cm
Description
Print satirising steam-powered travel, showing a Mr Golightly experimenting on 'Mesrs Quick and Speed's new patent high-presure steam riding rocket', the speed causing his hat to blow off and his cape to trail behind him. In the early part of the 19th century, steam propulsion was regarded as something of an unreliable, if not downright dangerous, fad. Early railway locomotives and steam-powered road carriages were prone to boiler explosions, a fact alluded to by the label on the rocket, which states; 'warranted not to burst'.
Image Details
Image Ref.
10410938
© Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library