This month sees the bicentenary of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the engineering wunderkind behind such wonders as the Thames Tunnel, which he helped to build with his father Sir Marc Brunel, and the Great Eastern Railway. In light of his anniversary, Getty Images presents their aptly named ‘Brunel’s Legacy’. And what a legacy it is. During his career, Brunel spread his magic far and wide with ships, suspension bridges, tunnels, viaducts and more. All pretty prolific stuff to say the least.Back to Getty and their London gallery is always an indulgence for anyone who harbors a passion for photography or, indeed, the past. This show is no different, documenting Brunel’s many feats in slick black and white prints and more vintage sepias. While the photographers of each piece vary, the images offered up are something of a history lesson, a slice of the past that’s all too often forgotten. Workers hang precariously on the rafting of the Forth Bridge, steam trains sail over the River Tamar and Brunel, himself, stands, cigar in mouth, top hat high on head, in front of the massive chains of the steamship, the Great Eastern. While these images are many things from poignant to inspiring, it’s the sheer variety and scope that’s really awesome. Most people hardly get past the meccano set. But not Brunel. The man who apparently smoked 40 cigarettes a day and slept four hours a night, must have had energy in mega volts; and that, is probably why he’s known as the ‘Second Greatest Briton of All Time’.
Brunel's Legacy is currently showing at Getty Images Gallery, 46 Eastcastle Street, London W1.
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