Deck of Great Eastern, Aft: the Paying-out Machinery
Medium
Watercolor over graphite with touches of gouache (bodycolor)
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 13/16 x 14 3/16 in. (25 x 36 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Cyrus W. Field, 1892
Accession Number
92.10.75
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step aboard the colossal SS *Great Eastern* through Robert Charles Dudley's meticulous 1866 watercolor,Deck of Great Eastern,ft: the Paying-out*. This detailed view captures the ship's aft deck during one of history's most ambitious engineering feats: the laying of the first successful transatlantic telegraph cable. The massive vessel, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, served as a floating factory, its specialized machinery meticulously paying out insulated copper wire across the Atlantic Ocean to connect Europe and North America for instantaneous communication. Painted in watercolor over graphite with subtle gouache highlights, Dudley's work exemplifies 19th-century technical illustration. The graphite underdrawing allowed for precise lines on the complex gears, levers, and crew figures, while translucent watercolors brought vibrancy to the bustling scene of men at work amid industrial might. Donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1892 by Cyrus W. Field—the cable project's financier—this drawing not only documents a pivotal moment in global connectivity but also celebrates human ingenuity bridging oceans. (198 words)
About the Artist
Robert Charles Dudley · 1813–1913
British, 1826–1909