James Watt

Placing the somberly dressed figure of James Watt against a shadowy backdrop, Henry Raeburn focuses all of our attention on the famous inventor’s brilliantly illuminated head. Like many celebrities of the day, Watt, the inventor of the steam engine, wanted a portrait that would be both an accurate record of his appearance and an image suitable for engravings. Although Watt and his friends thought this portrait a good likeness, they eventually rejected it, with the comment that it “frowns too much.”