A Woodburytype entitled 'Samuel Plimsoll', taken by Lock and Whitfield in 1876. This Woodburytype is taken from a series of seven volumes entitled 'Men of Mark'. Published between 1876 and 1883, each volume featured 36 portraits of prominent men of the time.

A Woodburytype entitled 'Samuel Plimsoll', taken by Lock and Whitfield in 1876.

Famous in shipping for his 'Plimsoll Line', Samuel Plimsoll (1824-1898) began his career as a coal merchant. His research into this trade made him acutely aware of the dangers sailors faced.

Dubbed 'the Sailors Friend', Plimsoll persuaded Parliament to amend the 1871 Merchant Shipping Act. This ensured that a 'Plimsoll Line', marked on a ship's side, was a legal requirement. This line disappeared below water if the ship was overloaded.

This Woodburytype is taken from a series of seven volumes entitled 'Men of Mark'. Published between 1876 and 1883, each volume featured 36 portraits of prominent men of the time. A brief biographical essay by Thompson Cooper (1837-1904) accompanied each portrait.