Building a Leviathan — Great Eastern Under Construction

Building a Leviathan - Great Eastern Under Construction depicts one of the most ambitious engineering projects of the Victorian era: the construction of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Eastern, originally named Leviathan, on the banks of the Thames at Millwall.

When launched in 1858, the Great Eastern was by far the largest ship ever built, nearly six times larger than the Great Britain. Building a ship of such size on the Thames meant she could not be built traditionally and then launched sideways; instead, she was constructed in a specially prepared berth and then launched parallel to the river using a system of hydraulic rams.

This painting captures the scale of the construction project: the massive dark iron hull surrounded by wooden scaffolding and tiny figures.

The Great Eastern was Brunel's final masterpiece and also his final challenge. The ship's construction was fraught with difficulties and financial problems. The original owners went bankrupt during construction, and the ship had to be renamed from Leviathan to Great Eastern. The launch itself required months of hydraulic effort to move her into the river.

Yet once afloat, the Great Eastern remained the largest ship in the world for over 40 years. She revolutionised long-distance travel, and late in her career, she was used to lay the first successful transatlantic telegraph cables.

This painting was reconstructed from contemporary news illustrations, technical drawings, and historical research. It's signed GS lower right, dated 2023 lower left.