Civil Engineering, 1839-1889

More about the book

There was much more to 19th-century engineering than that symbolized by the much published photograph of Isambard Kingdom Brunel standing before the chains of the Great Eastern. This illustrated book draws upon contemporary engineering photographs, many of which have not been published previously, to show how broad the interests of the Victorian engineer were, and demonstrates the importance of photography in charting engineering progress. The author, the librarian of the Institution of Civil Engineers, looks at the history of civil engineering and its establishment as a profession, its worldwide growth, and in particular the influence of British civil engineering practice. Drawing chiefly on the photographic collection of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the book combines famous photographic images, such as the construction of the Eiffel Tower, with little-known archive photographs taken by on-site surveyors and engineers of the time.