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Monday, March 05, 2012

Who Is This Man?

 
I saw this portrait in the Huntington Library in San Marino (near Pasedena) California, USA. This man was the friend of a kite flyer, a pottery maker, and Erasmus Darwin. One of Ms. Sandwalk's direct ancestors worked for him.

He's very famous. You'll recognize the name instantly even if you don't recognize his face. Who is he?

I'll keep the comments invisible for 24 hours so you can post your guesses.


22 comments :

Michael Fisher said...

it's aaaejmsttw

Bayesian Bouffant, FCD said...

Google Image search makes this way too easy.

John Runnels said...

James Watt.

All persons mentioned were members of the Lunar Society -- except that I confess I don't know about Ms. Sandwalk's ancestors.

chris y said...

From your description it ought to be Joseph Priestley, but it doesn't look like him.

Quidam said...

Kite flyer = Benjamin Franklin
Pottery maker = Josia Wedgewood
Erasmus Darwin = himself.

So this sounds like the Birmingham Lunar Society member, and my guess is Matthew Boulton.

Quidam said...

Ahh, my bad - it is James Watt. Another member of the Lunar Society.

http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/Sir-Henry-Raeburn/James-Watt.html

Arek W. said...

I think it's James Watt. But I cheated (google).

His assistant was William Playfair.
http://sandwalk.blogspot.com/2008/10/bar-graphs-pie-charts-and-darwin_463.html

Anonymous said...

James Watt.

Anonymous said...

It looks like Joseph Priestly.

FTFKDaD said...

Josiah Wedgwood?

Anonymous said...

James Watt by Henry Raeburn

A Scotsman painted by a Scotsman.

NAL said...

James Watt.

Suvrat Kher said...

Joseph Priestly?

Daniël Melters said...

James Watt

Veronica Abbass said...

The man in the portrait is Josiah Wedgwood (1730 - 1795).

Is there a prize?

Sigmund said...

James Watt?

Rick said...

Joseph Wright of Derby

Starbuck said...

James Watt

Chas Peterson said...

Watt, what?

Michael Fisher said...

I put one too many a's in: aaejmsttw = James Watt. Soho House where the Lunar Soc. met is only 4 miles from me here in Birmingham, UK.

medical artist said...

I think that he is James Watt.

Joe Felsenstein said...

Now that we know he is James Watt, this brings to mind one of the finer pieces of silliness in Sellers and Yeatman's inspired parody of English history, 1066 and All That. They mentioned the industrial and scientific advances in Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries due to people like James Watt and Robert Boyle, they declared that this inspired the saying that "Watt's potts never Boyle".