Inventor Gallery

1689 Sir Isaac Newton portrait young

Sir Isaac Newton ( 4 January 1643 -31 March 1727). English physicist and mathematician. 18th Century Mezzotint portrait after the painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller 1689, with later colouring. It shows Newton in his prime and is the earliest of the portraits. Newton is famous for his laws of motion and gravitation and remains one of the greatest scientists of all time. His opus magnus was his "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica". Other pursuits included optical physics, alchemy, religious and occult investigation, and preventing forgery while superintendant of the Royal Mint. He was widely viewed as an eccentric genius, but his human remains indicated mercury poisoning from his alchemy may have contributed to his instability. This version retains yellow age toning of original and is in the possession of the photographer

© PAUL D STEWART/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

1778 Benjamin Franklin scientist

Benjamin Franklin, scientist, inventor, and US Founding Father (January 17 1706 - April 17 1790). Steel engraving by J. Thompson 1834 with later colouring, after 1778 painting by Duplessis. Dubbed "the First American" he may thus also be considered the first American scientist. His studies of electricity earned him the Royal Society Copeley Medal in 1753 and in 1756 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society. After an honorary doctorate from Oxford in 1762 he became "Doctor Franklin". He helped demonstrate the unity of electrical phenomenon, and the existence of positive and negative charge. His celebrated kite flying in storms was designed to show that lightning was electrical. Being struck would be lethal, so he only suggested collecting charge to show that it performed in the same way as laboratory electrical charge. Among his many inventions is the first lightning rod and bifocals

© This image is Paul D. Stewart 2009. Do not reproduce without permission of the photographer at Stewartpauld@aol.com

James Watt in his Glasgow workshop improving on Thomas Newcomens 1712 Newcomen

3588302 James Watt in his Glasgow workshop improving on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1781, from Les Merveilles de la Science, pub.1870. by French School, (19th century); (add.info.: James Watt in his Glasgow workshop improving on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1781. James Watt, 1736 -1819. Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer and chemist. From Les Merveilles de la Science, published 1870.); Photo A© Ken Welsh; French, out of copyright

© Ken Welsh / Bridgeman Images