William Cubitt, 1857 (mezzotint on paper)

Portrait of Sir William Cubitt (1785-1861) eminent English civil engineer and millwright. Born in Norfolk, Cubitt was employed in many of the great engineering undertakings of his time. He invented a type of windmill sail and the prison treadwheel, and was employed as chief engineer, at Ransomes of Ipswich, before moving to London. He worked on canals, docks, and railways, including the South Eastern Railway and the Great Northern Railway. He was the chief engineer of Crystal Palace erected at Hyde Park in 1851 and President of the Institution of Civil Engineers between 1850 and 1851. Painted by Francis Grant (PRA) (1803-1878) and mezzotinted by Thomas Lewis Atkinson (1817-1898). ‘Private Plate’