
4 0 c m
34cm
actual image size: 26cm x 32cm
Description
Engraving. In 1823 Macintosh (1766-1843) succesfully produced the first waterproof cloth when he bonded together two pieces of woollen cloth with a solution of disolved india-rubber. The proces was patented that year and Macintosh set about producing waterproof garments at a factory in Manchester. Early difficulties with the rubber were largely overcome with the invention of vulcanisation in the late 1830s, and the waterproof overcoat soon became known as the 'mackintosh'.
Image Details
Image Ref.
10302045
© Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library