The Archimedes, fitted with Mr. F.P. Smith's Patent Screw Propeller - off The Nore, on her trip from Gravesend to Portsmouth - May 14th 1839 RMG PY8879, William John Huggins

The archimedes, fitted with mr. F. P. Smith's patent screw propeller. Off the nore, on her trip from gravesend to portsmouth. May 14th 1839 a coloured aquatint, which is apparently one of a pair (see also pah0211), showing 'archimedes' in port-broadside view with her sails furled. 'archimedes' was fitted with francis pettit smith's revolutionary propulsion system. Below the image is a drawing showing a cross-section of the vessel and either side of this are inscriptions. To the left, it reads: "the archimedes. Steamer. / fitted with mr f. P. Smith's patent screw propellor / off the nore, on her trip from gravesend to portsmouth, which was performed in 21 hours, against a fresh breeze from the west. May 14th 1839. " to the right, it reads: "built by mr. Hy. Wimshurst of limehouse for the ship propeller company. " beneath this is a list of dimensions. 'archimedes' is notable for being the world's first steamship to be driven by a screw propeller. She subsequently had a profound influence on ship development, encouraging the adoption of screw propulsion by the royal navy, hand-coloured. Date: 1839. Dimensions: Sheet: 426 x 547 mm;. Collection: Fine art.