Ink and watercolour drawing of the stairs down to the Thames Tunnel, by Marc Brunel, 1835
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Object number2014.03064
TitleInk and watercolour drawing of the stairs down to the Thames Tunnel, by Marc Brunel, 1835
Creator Marc Isambard Brunel (artist)
DescriptionAn ink and watercolour drawing of the stairs down to the Thames Tunnel, and the tunnel itself. It was painted by Marc Brunel, and is dated 15th August 1835. The drawing is on two pieces of thin card which are glued[?] to each other along the left-hand edge, creating a composite picture when the upper piece is folded over the other piece.
The drawing on top depicts the staircases, with ornate railings, that lead down to the tunnel. The figure of a woman has been sketched in but not coloured in, on the staircase to the right. The arches of the tunnel are cut out to show the picture beneath.
This second picture shows the two archways of the tunnel. The left-hand archway depicts the construction of the tunnel in progress, with workmen armed with picks on the tunnelling shield. The right-hand archway shows the tunnel completed, with brightly-dressed figures of pedestrians walking away down it. The arches of the tunnel have been added in to frame these two scenes, but these arches are obscured when the upper piece of paper is folded on top.
At this point in 1835, work was just restarting on the Thames Tunnel, and it was not completed for another eight years, opening March 25 1843.
Production date 1835-08-15 - 1835-08-15
Object nameink & watercolour drawing
Object categoryvisual art
Credit line“Accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government from Clive Richards OBE DL and allocated to the ss Great Britain Trust, 2017”