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Steamships

The introduction of steamship technology has traditionally been described as revolutionizing nineteenth-century shipping and maritime transportation. More recently, historians have begun to question this narrative of untrammelled progress, reminding us of the continuing importance of sail, as well as steamships’ early associations with technical difficulty and disaster. In this session, we will evaluate the impact of the growing numbers of steamships which plied the oceans and examine changing experiences of living and working at sea in the age of steam.

PowerPoint presentation

Presenters — Ruth Bradbury and Elliott Almeida

Seminar Questions

  • To what extent did the steamship introduce greater connectivity?
  • How did the introduction of steam change the experience of shipboard labour?
  • Did the introduction of steam result in widening opportunities for travel and mobility?
  • What do you think Frances Steel means when she talks about ‘imaginative geographies’?
  • In what ways might the introduction of ocean-going steamships have reconfigured the relationships between places?

Essential Reading

Primary Source

Further Reading

Three lascars of the 'Viceroy of India'. 1929. Waterline Collection, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London.
Dudley, Robert Charles. A Deck SCene on the 'Great Eastern'. 1868. Oil on canvas. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London.