The Wealth of England, The Bessemer Process of Making Steel 1895
W H Y Titcomb
This painting is technically well executed but its value lies in the detail contained within the painting that captures the movement and drama of the day-to-day operations within large scale steel production.
The Bessemer Process was discovered in 1856 by Henry Bessemer and allowed for the development of bulk steel production. The earliest converters were capable of making seven tons of steel in half an hour. This increased production fuelled the production of items for the expansion of the construction and transport industries.
It was chosen because it was the work of factories using the Bessemer process that allowed Sheffield to gain a reputation as the world leader in steel production.
Tony Finn's story