SKINNER MUSEUM: Closed
GiveModel of Watt's steam engine
mh_sk_2006_2058_inv_v1_01-cdm.jpg
Photo Credit:
Petegorsky/Gipe
Not On View
Watt, James
British; Scottish (1736-1819)
Place made:
North America; United States
Model of Watt's steam engine, late 19th or early 20th century
Iron and paint
Overall: 21 in x 24 in x 4 in; 53.3 cm x 61 cm x 10.2 cm; Base: 21 in x 4 in; 53.3 cm x 10.2 cm
Joseph Allen Skinner Museum, Mount Holyoke College
MH SK 2006.2058.INV
The Scottish engineer and chemist James Watt (1736–1819) designed a new form of steam engine in 1781. Watt endeavored to make the machines more efficient and useful for broader applications. This model played a key role in the harnessing and transmission of energy that powered the Industrial Revolution. His work was so significant that the unit of power—the watt—was named after him. This particular object was created much later as a teaching tool and was likely used in classes at Mount Holyoke to illustrate how the steam engine functioned through moving parts in cross section.
-Aaron Miller, Associate Curator of Visual and Material Culture, Mount Holyoke College Art Museum (Sept. 2017)
