Drawing, dimensions and titles in red ink. “Eidograph Jany 18th 1809 /....

Drawing. Black ink with dimensions ands titles in red ink. “Eidograph Jany 18th 1809 / Scale half inch to the inch / views of paralel motion” £ views of the wooden frames, trussed with “steel”, fitted up. The upper frame hangs vertically, with “roof” truss to rear, and the lower is horizontal with the truss upward. The support for the drilling instrument is show as “Tube or round bar …”. 21 ¾" x 17 3/8", watermark J WHATMAN / 1805.

This item is part of the contents of the workshop that Scottish engineer James Watt developed at his home, Heathfield, at Handsworth, Birmingham, from c.1795 through to his death in 1819. Although Watt is best known for his work on the steam engine, his workshop contains a wide variety of objects from many different projects, from chemistry to sculpture-copying.

This drawing is one of a set made by Watt during his time in the workshop. They include detail from how to mount a diamond on the end of a wire, to designs for weighing machines, to the construction of the lathe bench present in the workshop. However, the majority concern Watt’s work on his sculpture copying machines, both resident in the workshop. They show how their design evolved over time, including details of framing, feed mechanisms, drill frames and more. These were Watt’s major project in the workshop, and provide us with dates for some of the component parts of the machines stored around the room.