Water Power Collection

River Don, between Mexborough and Doncaster, 1803
Full title: Plan of alterations and improvements to be made in the navigation of the River Dun [between Mexborough and Doncaster, Yorkshire, 1803 By W. and J. Fairbank. Scale 2 furlongs : 1 inch

A water-powered flour mill
5312086 A water-powered flour mill; (add.info.: Engraving depicting a water-powered flour mill. Dated 17th century.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Diagram depicting a multiple Archimedean screws powered by a water wheel
5308164 Diagram depicting a multiple Archimedean screws powered by a water wheel.; (add.info.: Diagram depicting a multiple Archimedean screws powered by a water wheel being used to raise water)

Diagram of a 19th Century Spiral turbines with horizontal axis
3078137 Diagram of a 19th Century Spiral turbines with horizontal axis; (add.info.: Diagram of a 19th Century Spiral turbines with horizontal axis. Dated 19th Century.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Diagram of a 19th Century Water Turbine
3078148 Diagram of a 19th Century Water Turbine; (add.info.: Diagram of a 19th Century Water Turbine that extracts energy from moving water. Dated 19th Century.); Universal History Archive/UIG

A woodcut engraving depicting the draining of a mine that uses a series of suction pumps powered by a water wheel
5310952 A woodcut engraving depicting the draining of a mine that uses a series of suction pumps powered by a water wheel, 16th century; Universal History Archive/UIG

An undershot waterwheel powering a falling mill
3479655 An undershot waterwheel powering a falling mill; (add.info.: Illustration depicting an undershot waterwheel powering a fulling mill. Dated 17th Century.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Arkwright's water frame spinning machine, 1850
3480200 Arkwright's water frame spinning machine, 1850; (add.info.: Illustration depicting Arkwright's water frame spinning machine; on display at the Patents Museum; South Kensington;)

Gustaf de Laval's centrifugal cream separator
3732612 Gustaf de Laval's centrifugal cream separator; (add.info.: Engraving depicting Gustaf de Laval's centrifugal cream separator)

Gustaf de Laval's centrifugal cream separator
3732613 Gustaf de Laval's centrifugal cream separator; (add.info.: Engraving depicting Gustaf de Laval's centrifugal cream separator)

An engraving depicting Segur's water turbine or vortex wheel, 19th century
5311262 An engraving depicting Segur's water turbine or vortex wheel, 19th century; (add.info.: Date: 1895); Universal History Archive/UIG

An engraving depicting the waterworks at old London Bridge, powered by the current, built by Peter Morice in 1582
5310954 An engraving depicting the waterworks at old London Bridge, powered by the current, built by Peter Morice in 1582, rebuilt by George Sorocold circa 1702 and finally demolished in 1822

An engraving depicting the waterworks at old London Bridge, powered by the current, built by Peter Morice in 1582
5310953 An engraving depicting the waterworks at old London Bridge, powered by the current, built by Peter Morice in 1582, rebuilt by George Sorocold circa 1702 and finally demolished in 1822

Woodcut depicts the early process of paper making
1578324 Woodcut depicts the early process of paper making; (add.info.: Woodcut depicts the early process of paper making. The raw materials would be placed in a trough to be macerated by hammers)

Cross-section of a flour mill powered by a water wheel
5310102 Cross-section of a flour mill powered by a water wheel; (add.info.: Cross-section of a flour mill powered by a water wheel)

A pair of bellows worked alternately to give continuous draught
5310185 A pair of bellows worked alternately to give continuous draught; (add.info.: Engraving depicting a pair of bellows worked alternately to give continuous draught)

View from the Bernshammar Sawmill, 1793. Creator: Pehr Nordquist
View from the Bernshammar Sawmill, 1793. Water power used to operate machinery in Sweden

Landscape with water mill, 1789-1859. Creator: Pieter de Goeje
Landscape with water mill, 1789-1859

Landscape with a water mill, 1605-1673. Creator: Lucas van Uden
Landscape with a water mill, 1605-1673

A Watermill, c.1664. Creator: Meindert Hobbema
A Watermill, c.1664

Le moulin, between 1772 and 1829. Creator: Jean-Louis Demarne
Le moulin, between 1772 and 1829. The Mill

Plan of part of the townships of Sheffield and Nether Hallam, Sheffield, c. 1826
Full title: Plan of part of the townships of Sheffield and Nether Hallam which is in dispute. Includes John Addys house, Lidgate Field, Shales Moor Close, White House Lane or Walkley Road

Mapledurham Mill BB026098
Mapledurham Mill, Mapledurham, South Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire. The watermill at Mapledurham showing the undershot waterwheel

Townscape, 1924 (oil on canvas)
5917383 Townscape, 1924 (oil on canvas) by Schiller, Gejza (1894-1927); 94.5x109 cm; Vychodoslovenska Galeria, Kosice, Slovakia; (add.info.: Vychodoslovenska galeria, VSG)

Trades in Regency England: Grinding cutlery, iron works and flax spinning
6340305 Trades in Regency England: Grinding cutlery, iron works and flax spinning by Taylor, Isaac (1730-1807); (add.info.: Trades in Regency England: Grinding cutlery, iron works and flax spinning)

The Waterwheel at Onden (Onden no suisha), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei), ca. 1830-32

Watermill, early-mid 19th century, (1947). Creator: James Stark
Watermill, early-mid 19th century, (1947). Watermills on the banks of a river. From " British Windmills and Watermills, by C. P. Skilton. [Collins, London, 1947]

Mill Bridge and Waterfall, early-mid 19th century, (1947). Creator: Andrew Hunt
Mill Bridge and Waterfall, early-mid 19th century, (1947). Watermill on the banks of a river. From " British Windmills and Watermills, by C. P. Skilton. [Collins, London, 1947]

Upper Powder-Works, 1872. Creator: John Filmer
Upper Powder-Works, 1872. Gunpowder mill on the Brandywine Creek, Delaware, USA. The Eleutherian Mills, used for the manufacture of explosives

Mills on Blackstone River, 1872. Creator: William Hamilton Gibson
Mills on Blackstone River, 1872. Industrial buildings in Rhode Island, USA. The first successful water-powered cotton mill in America was opened at Pawtucket Falls in 1790

Old Mill - Reemss Creek, 1872. Creator: Frederick William Quartley
Old Mill - Reemss Creek, 1872. Water mill on Reems Creek, a tributary of the French Broad River, North Carolina, USA:one of the landmarks of the days when it was a struggle between the Indian

Cumberland Gap, from the East, 1872. Creator: W. H. Morse
Cumberland Gap, from the East, 1872. Watermill near the pass through the Cumberland Mountains on the border of Kentucky and Virginia, USA. The chimney is clad in timber scaffolding

Little Falls, 1874. Creator: Frederick William Quartley
Little Falls, 1874. The Mohawk River at Little Falls, New York State, USA. The river here makes a descent of over forty feet, accomplishing the effort in three small falls

East Side, Upper Falls of the Genesee, 1874. Creator: John Douglas Woodward
East Side, Upper Falls of the Genesee, 1874. Waterfalls on the Genesee River at Rochester, New York State, USA. The...Upper Falls...are ninety-six feet in height, and it is thus evident that

Old Mill, Sages Ravine, 1874. Creator: John J. Harley
Old Mill, Sages Ravine, 1874. Water mill on the Sages Ravine Brook, near Salisbury, Connecticut, USA. At the mouth of this noble ravine there are a fine old mill

Mill on Joness Falls, 1874. Creator: John Filmer
Mill on Joness Falls, 1874. Mount Vernon cotton mills on Jones Falls, a river in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. From " Picturesque America; or, The Land We Live In

Scenes on the Wissahickon, 1874. Creator: John J. Harley
Scenes on the Wissahickon, 1874. Mouth of the Wissahickon, Old Log Cabin - Bridge...Falls, Wissahickon Creek, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

West Side, Upper Falls of the Genesee, 1874. Creator: W. H. Morse
West Side, Upper Falls of the Genesee, 1874. Waterfalls on the Genesee River at Rochester, New York State, USA. The...Upper Falls...are ninety-six feet in height, and it is thus evident that

Breakwater, Ramapo, 1874. Creator: A. Measom
Breakwater, Ramapo, 1874. Dam on the Ramapo, a tributary of the Pompton River, northern New Jersey, USA....the Ramapo River, a stream which finds its way between high hills

The Eli Whitney Gun Factory, c. 1826-8 (oil on canvas)
3247969 The Eli Whitney Gun Factory, c.1826-8 (oil on canvas) by Munson, William Giles (1801-78); 61.6x74.9 cm; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT, USA; (add.info.: Eli Whitney (December 8)

Instruments of Power for the Rushing Waters of Niagara River, c1935. From Our Wonderful World, Volume II, edited by J.A. Hammerton. [The Amalgamated Press, Ltd. London]

Abbey Mill, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, 2010. The fictional Abel Fletchers Mill in Dinah Craiks novel " John Halifax

Stornoway Water Wheel, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, 2009. This water wheel is part of a restored watermill originally built in 1816 but destroyed by fire in 1890

Water wheel, Karavomilos Lake, Kefalonia, Greece

Cross section diagram of a hydro-electric power station

New England textile factory, 1800s
Sugar River textile mill in Newport, New Hampshire, about 1880. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Storage Lake of the Oker Dam, Harz Mountains, Harz, Lower Saxony, Germany

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"Harnessing the Power of Water: A Journey through Time" Step back in time to 1803, as we explore the River Don between Mexborough and Doncaster. This picturesque location became a hub for water power, with its rushing currents fueling the industrial revolution. Fast forward to c. 1826, where we find ourselves in Sheffield and Nether Hallam. A plan reveals how these townships utilized water power to drive their thriving industries, from grinding cutlery to iron works and flax spinning. Mapledurham Mill BB026098 takes us even further into history - an iconic symbol that has stood the test of time. Its majestic presence reminds us of the ingenuity behind harnessing nature's force. Transported to 1924, an oil painting captures a vibrant townscape bustling with activity fueled by water power. The canvas comes alive as mills hum with productivity and wheels turn tirelessly under William Armstrong's skilled brushstrokes. The series "Trades in Regency England" introduces us to grinding cutlery once again - this time through vivid descriptions that transport us directly into the heart of a bustling industry driven by water-powered machinery. Moving eastward, we encounter "The Waterwheel at Onden (Onden no suisha)" from Katsushika Hokusai's renowned series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. " Here, Japanese craftsmanship merges seamlessly with nature's energy source - a testament to humanity's universal reliance on water power throughout history. James Stark invites us into his world during the early-mid 19th century when he depicts a charming Watermill surrounded by lush greenery. His artwork serves as a reminder that amidst industrial progress, there was still beauty found within our dependence on water-driven technology. Andrew Hunt transports us further along this journey with his depiction of Mill Bridge and Waterfall during the same era. The cascading waters not only provided power but also created a serene and picturesque scene that captivates the imagination.