If you watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics last week, you saw a segment with men in top hats and muttonchop sideburns, representing the industrial revolution. Here’s actor Kenneth Branagh in costume as Isambard Kingdom Brunel that night. If you’re a Commons regular, maybe that all looked familiar, thanks to the National Maritime Museum:

Robert Howlett
John Scott Russell (on the left) and Isambard Brunel (second from right) during the launch of the ‘Great Eastern’, 3 November 1857
National Maritime Museum: A4557

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