The text accompanying this plate reads: ‘the more we are able to diminish the labour of man, which God intended should be his chastisement, the further we remove the curse, and the nearer we approach to our original perfection’ – an interesting interpretation of the Industrial Revolution.

The machinery shown here is Whitworth’s stand of engine tools and Appold’s centrifugal pump, ‘which was an excellent example of the modern religion of mechanics.’ Certainly the visual effect of the machinery is that of a brave new age, contrasting starkly with the dress and size of the visitors.